Ep. 226: How this affiliate marketer built a 6-figure business with Spencer Mecham
In this episode, I speak with Spencer who is a full-time affiliate marketer. He has built multiple six-figure affiliate businesses using blogging, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook.
He loves marketing, the outdoors, and has been getting wildly into cryptocurrency for the past few months.
Listen to find out how Spencer has been able to leave his 9-5 in order to live his dream life as an affiliate marketer.
Listen Below:
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Transcription:
Debbie:
Hey everyone. Thank you so much for being here. I am really excited to talk to Spencer today. Hey, Spencer, how are you?
Spencer:
So good. How are you, Debbie?
Debbie:
I am super, super excited to talk to you today. Can you tell us a little bit more about you and why you live an offbeat life?
Spencer:
So, I’m a full-time affiliate marketer. I’ve been doing that for four, five, six years now. And I say that because it was kind of two years of dabbling and then I got full-time about 4 years ago.
The appeal to affiliate marketing, for me, has always been the simplicity of the idea. So it’s just instead of having to worry about 12 different things that an entrepreneur typically has to worry about. You have to worry about marketing, customer service, product creation, and all that stuff kind of gets taken out of the picture, which is, for me, much easier.
I also love the lifestyle that an affiliate marketer can typically have which is a kind of laptop lifestyle, big traveler. I love, in particular, mountainous places. We live right next to the Uinta mountain range and I head up there as often as we can. And that is only possible with a job like affiliate marketing.
Debbie:
That is amazing. And you talked a little bit about dabbling to a certain degree before you finally found your niche. What is it that you did before? What was it before that you were doing? Did you have a regular nine-to-five? Or were you always the type of person that was working remotely?
Spencer:
Yeah. I had a regular nine-to-five up until four years ago and honestly, up until I was 26, I didn’t know the lifestyle existed. And so I worked at a PR agency, a digital marketing agency. I have a degree in public relations.
Essentially what happened is I was working at this digital marketing agency and I had a co-worker that came and he introduced me to affiliate marketing. He had a blog that he’s been running for about 2 years and we were just chatting one day and he’s like, “Hey, check out this blog I’ve got. I’m making 5,000 bucks a month off this blog pretty passively.”
We went and looked at it and he does vacuum cleaner reviews. So all he’s doing is he’s like reviewing, I guess there’s a lot of vacuum cleaners out there I don’t even know. He’s raking in, he’s making more than we were both making at this place with this vacuum cleaner review blog.
And so that was like the spark in my head like, “Uh, the blog was ugly.” If you’ve been in WordPress at all, he just, like, create a new blog, run with whatever it looks like. Didn’t do that much at all except putting out content.
So that was the trigger for me like, “That blog is bringing in this much money for that guy. I can do better and I can design something much better than that.” And that’s what brought me into that affiliate marketing space and I hate to say that that’s why I created a blog called BeginningStockTrader.com
The first was a log on trading stocks and how to do that stuff. Did not do better than his vacuum cleaner blog. It looked significantly better, that made significantly less, and that kind of got me into this world and there’s a lot of ways to do affiliate marketing.
A lot of people think it’s just the blog, I just Instagram or something, there are a million ways to go about it. And then that’s what brought me in the door.
Debbie:
That is so funny that you say that, Spencer, where you’re like, “Yeah, it looked really bad but it was making so much money.” And I think for a lot of people you automatically correlate the amount of money you were going to make with how beautiful that blog or that website is.
It always reminds me every time somebody says that about a blog that’s not pretty. It always makes me think about Craigslist, right?
Spencer:
Yeah.
Debbie:
You look at Craigslist right now, it still looks like the 1990s, like the early 2000s and they’re still making a lot of money and they haven’t changed a damn thing. So I’m like, “If it’s working, hey…”
Spencer:
Absolutely.
That’s probably a billion-dollar company, it’s like a one-page directory.
Debbie:
Yeah. Exactly. Which is interesting how you think about that.
So when you finally started doing it and you were looking into your own website, you started with the stock trading, what did you learn from that? What made you decide to keep going with it instead of being like, “Well, this didn’t work for me. I’m going to stop at you.”?
Spencer:
That blog actually never worked for me, I’ll be honest. That particular blog was not my cup of tea probably because I wasn’t even that great at trading stocks and I didn’t know a ton about it so it was a very poor choice.
But it kind of led me from piece to piece to piece. So that blog led me to create an Instagram account which led me to create a YouTube channel which is where most of my success comes right now is from different YouTube channels.
And so the route was after about a year, I was pretty diligently focused on the blog. I was doing content every single day. I put up quite a bit and after about a year I was like, “Okay, I’m making 20 bucks a month, something’s got to change.” I’m starting to finally burn out.
And so I YouTube like we all do, right? Go to YouTube and Google and like, “How can I make money fast at affiliate marketing, not like the five-year plan.” And I ended up with a bunch of people telling me that Instagram was a route. And those were the days, I don’t know if you were on Instagram in those days, it was like to follow, unfollow was the hot thing.
Debbie:
Yeah.
Spencer:
You get a little bot and go out and follow. I hate it but that’s what the YouTube video that I watched taught me to do. So I created an Instagram account to talk about stocks. The top stocks. I did the same thing. I’m out there following and unfollowing.
And then when they would follow me back, I feel like sending a message. I’m like, “Hey, check out this course or product that I have.” That led to multiple account bans on Instagram and the one thing I did do is I finally decided to try making a video and then sending that video to my Instagram followers.
When they follow me back I’m going to send them a little video about how to get started in the stock market and I’ll have a little affiliate link in my video. So it’s kind of like a little more passive of a way to approach these people.
So I made a YouTube video and put it out there and then went back to spamming Instagram like we do and it failed. So in the end it just didn’t work. And I kind of had a down period. We had our first child in that period and I just stopped working, stopped trying on it.
It’s just hard when you have your first kid you just try to figure things out there. And three months later, I logged back into this affiliate account, and I realized that I’m making money daily and I was like, “What?! I turned off my spam bot. Why am I making money right now?”
And I dig deeper and the YouTube video, my first YouTube video, a terrible video, poorly done beyond all reason, is getting passive views a day. Even right now it’s like 400,000 views, it exploded.
I don’t know why. Like, I still look at it, I’m like, “I don’t know why YouTube likes that video so much.” But it did. People are watching this and they click the links down below and I was making affiliate commissions.
And that was my first, like, “Okay, the fire’s really lit. I’m making money.” And that’s what got me into YouTube and really got me to, “Okay, I can do this, and I can see how the money is being made now.”
I’m all over on TikTok and stuff but YouTube’s where my bread and butter, my passion and stuff is.
Debbie:
And it’s really interesting because there’s always something new, there’s always a new platform that we always feel like we have to be on, right? Like it was TikTok, it was Clubhouse, before, it was Instagram. So there is always something new that pops up.
It happens to me, you have that shiny object syndrome. You feel like you have to be everywhere. What really kind of allows you to stay focused when all of that stuff happens everywhere, all the time, as an entrepreneur?
Spencer:
Right over here on my wall, I got a board and it’s got written down five goals that are my goals for this year. And I’ve promised myself those will never change and I focus every single day looking over that board as I start the day and saying, “Are these tasks that I’m planning on, are they applicable to that board right there?”
The top goal on that board is a hundred thousand subscribers on YouTube. And so Clubhouse launches and I look at it and say, “Is that going to blow up my YouTube channel? ‘Cause that’s my real goal here.” And it’s not and so I don’t.
So I think there is an opportunity there and if I was brand new, I might start on TikTok, I might start on Clubhouse because if there is a lot of opportunities there. But if I’ve been working the last 3 months on my YouTube channel, like, to pivot and go to Clubhouse is crazy to me. It’s like I’ll start all over.
These algorithms and stuff take time to learn. To understand what kind of content the audience on those platforms likes and the algorithms on those platforms. And so just to pivot is crazy to me once you start really mastering a specific platform.
Debbie:
And that is such a great tactic to all of this. Because honestly, once I started doing that and I did something similar to you where I had goals for myself, right? And every time something else happens or even a new opportunity ‘cause, Spencer, I’ve talked to literally hundreds of entrepreneurs and you’re always going to have, like, before we started this interview, Spencer was giving me good advice on something.
And I’m sure throughout this whole process of interviewing you, I’m going to get something that’s super valuable. I used to have that super like shiny object syndrome and I did exactly what you’re talking about which is like, “These are my main goals. Is any of this going to help me with that?” And if it doesn’t and you just shove it, right?
Not to say that it’s never going to happen but until you achieve that goal, don’t start clamoring for something new because then, like you said, you’re just going to go back into circles and never accomplish anything. So, such good advice, Spencer.
Spencer:
Oh, thank you.
There really are a million ways to make money online, right? Like, any one of these works: Clubhouse works, TikTok works, YouTube works. But the people that are actually making it work for them are the ones that are just focusing on one.
They all could work. I wish I could count the number of ways that I’ve seen people make creative money online but they’re all focused.
Debbie:
Yeah. It’s just too many. But again, it’s about focusing on what really works for you. And it seems like for you, what happened was kind of by accident, right? Where you were just trying different things and then you found out that YouTube was the right place, the right platform for you.
Now, take us to the moment when you finally decided, “Listen, I got to hunker down, I gotta do what I need to do. I have to make sure that I’m more serious about this.” What was your first step in order to actually make money, more than $20 a month from affiliate marketing?
Spencer:
It was writing it down, writing down my plan, and then having like specifics of how that plan was going to work, right?
It’s like, “Okay, this is how much I made off this YouTube video, this is how much I’m probably going to make to get to this much money,” which for me the goal has always been $5,000 a month. That was what I was making at my current job. I pulled out at that point which was an awesome feeling.
I looked at my YouTube channels and essentially it came down to creating a very specific plan with dates and a master batching. And so it was like, “I have a job already. So Monday, I’m going to go to work, I’m going to come home and hang out with my family. At 9 o’clock, I’m going to do keyword research and I’m going to come up with 30 video ideas.
Tuesday or Wednesday, same thing. Get on at 9 o’clock. I’m going to go and I’m going to create outlines for all 30 of these videos. Okay, Friday, I’m going to sit down and I’m just gonna film like crazy.”
Those days are so exhausting. The filming batching days, holy cow! But when you’re done, you’re like, “Okay, I got all of these.” In the beginning, it was me editing and then eventually an editor came aboard. For four days, it’s editing days and then that rhythm starts happening. It’s such a cool feeling.
I’m like, “Okay, I’ve got 20 videos scheduled out for the next 45 days on YouTube. I can now hunker down and start maybe working on my conversion system a little more and start working on my next batch of videos. And now maybe I could try another platform.” I didn’t but that was kind of how I worked it.
It’s like, “Okay, once I’ve got 45 videos scheduled out then I can start working out how to make email marketing work in the conversion system and learning more and stuff like that.” But I think most people get stuck in this learning loop and what I didn’t want to get stuck in was, “Okay, I’m going to crush YouTube.”
So for the next, like, 6 months, I listen to like a hundred podcasts. I’ve watched 50 videos. I was just like learn, learn, learn, learn because learning is easy and it’s fun. For me, it was like you’ve got to go apply, put your pedal to the floor to start going. And you can learn as you go and then apply what you’re learning, kind of on the fly.
Debbie:
I definitely agree with that. And I think that a lot of people like what you’re saying, and this has happened to me too, where it’s kind of like your comfort zone. Technically you’re not doing anything but you feel like you are because you’re learning.
And then a year later, you’re still in the same spot but you’ve learned a lot. So that’s a good thing, right?
Spencer:
Yeah. It’s comfortable and we like that, right? Like, we like that feeling.
People go different routes: there are the learners, there are the appliers. Some people are the opposite, right? They don’t even sit down, they don’t ever watch a YouTube video on how to succeed. After two days they’ll go to YouTube videos and can’t figure out why it’s not working.
And the people that are masters of the balance, they go out and they learn a little bit and then they instantly go and apply and create content and do their thing. And then they go out and they learn a little more, maybe take some stuff.
They learn creative content and they kind of get in this loop of learning and applying, learning and applying versus kind of the we just sit there and learn or we just sit there, pump up content regardless of how it’s working out and how much we’re actually growing.
Debbie:
Definitely, a balance between the two is crucial to all of this because you can only learn so much before you’re literally in the same spot. Because if you just cut learning, Spencer, we wouldn’t be talking right now.
You’d still be in your nine-to-five learning and seeing your friend making more money with his Craigslist type of website.
Spencer:
Yeah. I don’t know where he is anymore but he’s probably raking it in now. 15-year-old, 10-year-old vacuum cleaner.
Debbie:
That’s awesome though. Just to go off-topic, I just want to say that people find the most interesting niches that actually make money. Things that you would never even think would be popular and people are searching for. ‘
‘Cause, like, who knew your friend who is talking about vacuum cleaners would make a passive income of $5,000 a month. Talking about some boring stuff you wouldn’t even really think about but I guess there’s enough interest to it.
Spencer:
Yeah. I know. We’re starting right now about lovesacs and the idea just came when I was shopping for a lovesac and I was like, “There’s no like great blogs about lovesacs. I can’t find information.” I was like, “Oh, there’s gonna be a lot of people looking for lovesacs out there.”
So, yeah, I got just a little mini micro niches. They’re all over.
Debbie:
Yes. So let’s actually talk about that, right? These niches and what you do to actually find them. How do you make sure that the YouTube channel, the blogs that you’re starting about these topics that you’re doing are also going to make money?
Because it’s one thing to have a hobby and just talk about anything that you really like. And it’s another thing, it’s a huge difference, with making money from it, right?
Spencer:
Yeah. And I honestly think any niche can make money that has traffic. Like, there’s a way to make money off of anybody. Once you know their interest, if you’re doing a vlog on YouTube, it’s pretty easy to know their interest. They’re watching a video about a specific piece of content.
For me, I use a tool called Ahrefs. It’s the same thing with SemRush, Ubersuggest – I think it’s a free one. All you gotta do is spend about 10 minutes just typing in 20, 30 40, keywords in that niche that you can think of and see the search volume.
The main keyword, for example, lovesacs, has got you five, ten thousand, you’re in a golden place. With the main keyword sitting less than that, 3 to 1000, you’re probably going to struggle. But if you get the main keyword at 5000 plus, there are people out there searching for variations of that keyword that you can be the one to own.
And so that’s kind of a sweet spot, that main keyword got 5000. To me, that’s like 20-30,000. The big guys aren’t going for it, probably but also, there’s still plenty of people looking for it and there’s money to be made for the little guys.
Debbie:
Yeah.
And also, this is another thing that I think a lot of people there’s a discussion about over this: do you do a business or even like niches that you’re really interested in, you’re super passionate about, or do you do a niche that will make money? Maybe you’re not really passionate about it but maybe you just enjoy the systems or whatever it is that will just allow you to create income.
So, what are your thoughts about that? Because there is always a discussion between passion and just creating income, right?
Spencer:
Yeah. And I lean very far towards passion.
I got friends and stuff. A lot of friends that make a lot of money off like the vacuum cleaner blog and stuff like that. But I also see them kind of fizzle. Like, a lot of these guys will fizzle after a year or two.
And it’s so hard that first year where you’re not making any money and you’re having to write vacuum cleaner reviews, right? Like, what a terrible place, no money and you’re reviewing vacuum cleaners all day.
To me at least even if you’re not making money, you’re in your passion, and if you stick with it, which is a lot easier with your passion eventually. I mean, anyone that sticks with it, they get into that learn, apply loop, will start making money in my opinion.
So, pick something that you like and can talk about. And then, even if you don’t make money, at least you learned a lot and you spend your time doing something you like.
Debbie:
And, like you mentioned, it’s really tough to stick to something if you’re not interested in it because in the beginning none of us made money. You don’t make money for a while and that passion that you have is sometimes really the only thing that’s driving you to continue.
Because, like you mentioned, Spencer, unless your friend was really into vacuum cleaners because some people are, you’ll never know, it is going to be really tough. It’s going to be very hard to stick to that if there’s not at least one thing that you really love about it.
So I’m definitely that type of person to, like, have a combination of both. Make sure you’re doing it in a way where it becomes a business as well if that’s what you intend to do with that.
But yeah, you never know what people’s passions are, it can be vacuum cleaners or, Spencer, with you now, lovesacs.
Spencer:
I actually do love lovesacs. Like, with the one we got, oh my gosh, amazing. So my new passion.
Debbie:
Love that.
So for you, when you first started and you just had a child, you have a family, you were starting to look at other things, especially with affiliate marketing, how did you prepare the journey of really going into that full-time, especially when you have this responsibility at home, right? How did you make sure you transitioned in a way where you felt good about it and I guess it was “stable” for you?
Spencer:
So I’m very risk-averse. So that was hard. Like, “When are we going to make this transition to a business making maybe two or three thousand a month.” Like, we just pulled out and we did not pull out. We probably should have pulled out well before we did.
And so we had a year’s worth of income sitting in the bank and we quit once my business hit matching my income from my current job. So the side hustle was making as much as the current job, we had a year’s worth of money in the bank.
And the reason I did that is I think I could have quit a lot earlier and then pulled it off. But the stress levels that you have to go through when you’re just starting a business. You quit. You’re not making that amount yet. Like, I did not want to go through those stress levels.
Plus, I think you make bad decisions in a business when you’re thinking short-term, right? Like, “Hey, I’ve got to pay my bills in the next 2 to 3 weeks.” That’s not the mindset that’s going to help you build a long-term business. You’re going to do things like spam or you’re going to be desperate and not make the right decisions.
So the reason I did that is I just felt like I wanted to go into this business with that mindset of, “Okay, we can think long-term vision here because we’re covered.”
Debbie:
Yeah. And I think that’s one of the things that a lot of people do, especially when we’re really, I guess excited or desperate to leave the 9-to-5, especially if you are not really interested in it.
Some people hate it and you just want to leave. But in a lot of ways, your nine-to-five is kind of a blessing in disguise because it allows you to afford to live and you can do your side hustle. And I know, like, this is something that we all struggle with.
I did the same thing, Spencer. I was working my regular nine-to-five and then I worked on my side hustle and it’s a lot of work. So I can’t even imagine what it was like for you to have a new baby and having a family to support. That must have been crazy ‘cause I’m like, “It was hard for me and I was single. Like, it was me and my husband at the time but we didn’t have a kid to support, so it was like, ‘okay, whatever.’”
Spencer:
Yeah, it came down to passion. Like, the fact that I actually enjoyed it. I love researching and I love talking about the content that I was talking about. It wouldn’t have worked if I was going back on things.
That six, seven, eight-month mark would have been too much.
Debbie:
And that’s really what makes the difference – is your passion. And like we talked about, sometimes it’s the only thing that drives you to keep going. But every time I look at a parent like you and you really had the drive and I think in a way, like, you tell me, Spencer, it’s like you as a father especially as a new father, did it give you more of a push to do something that you are passionate about having a new life into the world?
And even though you had your responsibility, you’re like, “When I have my kid and he or she is growing up, I want them to have a dad that has this thing that they’re doing that they’re really passionate about.
Spencer:
Yeah. In fact, I was on a podcast, like, 6 months ago and they talked about motivation. Like, “How do you get motivation?” I said, “Have a kid.” Because, yeah, you’re right, your motivation will explode when you’ve seen that baby and your like. “Whoo! 18 years, that’s on me.”
And you start to realize too, like, “How much kids cost. How much life costs. A little more than you were prepared for.” Maybe coming into college, you’re like, “Wow!” Health insurance is expensive, like, “This is terrible.”
And so it was absolutely that. And then, it combines the ideas of freedom. So not only do I fill out that sense of responsibility. Like, you’re going to work every day and you’re like, “I want to stay home. And I want to be with this three-month-old baby.”
And so, the combination of those two just lights the fire.
Debbie:
And that’s such an amazing place to be in because, after all that hard work, I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you and your wife to really be able to juggle all of this stuff because it’s crazy, now you’re living it.
So it’s like looking back, thank goodness you did that or else you’d still be in the 9 to 5 instead of being able to stay at home, travel when you want, be with your family. It’s a really good lifestyle.
Spencer:
Yeah. It kind of just grows on itself. Like, it started as a side hustle. Just like, “I probably need to make $1,000 a month extra.” And then like, “Oh, we’re up to, like, 2500. Like, this could be like a full-time thing.” And then it becomes a full-time thing and that’s like, “We could grow beyond this.”
So for me, you set a goal ahead of yourself and when you hit it, you build upon it. And for me, there has been like, “I want to be like a multi-millionaire and rule the world and stuff like that,” but it’s kind of, like, you just slowly build up as you accomplish each of those micro-goals on your way.
Debbie:
Absolutely. Obviously, this is different for everybody, but for you, Spencer, how long did it actually take you from the moment you started dabbling into affiliate marketing to actually replacing your full-time job’s income?
Spencer:
So I would say I started doing side hustles a little before affiliate marketing. That’s probably 6 months to a year. Affiliate marketing was about a year and a half and then I was able to quit after about a year and a half of trying that, which I think is a shorter timeline.
Debbie:
Yeah.
Spencer:
I think I had some things worked out. Like, I had moments that were lucky. Lots of luck came simply because I was putting myself out there so often like that YouTube video and stuff. But yeah, that was the timeline.
Debbie:
That’s incredible and I’m sure it was a lot of work for you to get there. And obviously, it was a lot of learning along the way and even now, right?
And I think people look at somebody like you, Spencer, and they’re like, “Well, he has everything figured out.” But like most entrepreneurs every day, there’s always a challenge that you have to go through.
And even when you’re talking about your board of goals, like, you constantly have something new that you’re trying to work for. So it’s a constant like work within yourself and your business as well.
Spencer:
I remember, it has been recently, I started to grow a team, right? I’m like, “Holy cow!” Like, “You’re so bad at that. You’re such a bad CEO and like a leader here.” And so you spend like a humbling moment.
It’s like, “I’m starting all over.” Like, trying to figure out you were good at this but you’re not very good at leading these other people towards it. And so, yeah, that’s kind of where I’m at right now. Like you said, just overwhelmed, trying to get these people aboard of vision and find the right people and teach and train these employees.
Debbie:
Yeah. And I always say that entrepreneurs, we’re kind of like masochists. We like trying new things, failing, and then one day we could be at the highest of highs and then the next day, the lowest of lows. So it’s always different.
Spencer:
Yeah. So crazy.
You wake the next day and your website is down and you’re like, “I don’t even know who is supposed to fix this. I guess me.” And you’re like, “I don’t know what to do.”
Debbie:
Like, ”Oh my gosh This is all me now.”
So, Spencer, let’s fast forward to around 40 to 50 years from now and you’re looking back at your life, what legacy would you like to leave and what do you want to be remembered for?
Spencer:
So, affiliate marketing, like, we kind of slowly hound in. Like, I built a brand called Buildapreneur and it’s trying to change the industry of affiliate marketing. Like, when I first got in, I told you, I watched a Youtube video and I got kind of spammy. And 95% of the industry is like that version of affiliate marketing.
And so I would love to be able to change that direction to where everybody who is new to affiliate marketing, doesn’t run into stuff that teaches them how to spam. They’ll go into my stuff and they’ll learn how to do it right.
Not only create more value online and be paid for the value you create, you also make more money doing that.
So I guess I want to change the direction of the affiliate marketing industry to where people learn how to create long-term businesses, creating real value and real relationships with people versus its current status quo.
Debbie:
Yeah. And I love that because I think a lot of people don’t necessarily think of affiliate marketing as something that you can do long-term and something that you can do remotely and making it more sustainable like you have been able to do, Spencer.
So, love that legacy that you’re building even as we speak right now.
So before we say goodbye, Spencer, I have five rapid questions for you to answer.
Are you ready?
Spencer:
Let’s do it.
Debbie:
Alright. So what has been the best money you’ve ever spent while you were abroad and why?
Spencer:
It was in Iceland and I was driving a car because it just gave me this freedom to explore the coolest place on Earth and do whatever I wanted and it was awesome.
Debbie:
I could attest to that. Iceland is kind of an otherworldly type of place, right? It doesn’t feel real.
Spencer:
We almost did a tour and I would have been so bummed if someone had dragged me around.
Debbie:
My husband and I actually went there a few years ago and we did a five-day hike, so it was crazy. It was like a pinch yourself moment sometimes when you’re in Iceland.
Spencer:
That’s awesome.
Debbie:
‘Cause you’re like, “Is this for real? Am I dreaming?”
Spencer:
It’s so cool and so empty. It’s just a cool place.
Debbie:
Yeah, it is.
Alright Now, describe what your ideal day looks like.
Spencer:
I try to be very scheduled. If I don’t have a schedule, like, if I don’t schedule out my day, my entire day is a flop.
And so, I wake up. I’m a big pickleball player, that’s my exercise. I hate working out but I love pickleball.
Debbie:
Wait, what is pickleball?
Spencer:
Good question.
Debbie:
Is it a pickle that you turned into a ball?
Spencer:
That would make sense. I don’t know why it’s called pickleball but it’s actually the fastest growing sport in America right now. It’s like a mix of tennis and ping pong. Go watch a video of it after this, you’ll see it.
Anyway, it’s a really fast-growing sport and it’s played in like a small tennis court. I’ve won the last two or three years. And so, I love it way more than I love traditional exercise like running or working out.
Do that, come home, do kids and stuff, have about a half-hour to an hour shower, and then I try to work. It’s weird, I worked so hard to leave my 9-to-5 but I like to work from 9 to 5. That’s still and I love to do my work.
So I work from 9 to 5 and then it’ll be kids till about 8 and a normal life after that, meet my wife after that, watch 24 or something.
Debbie:
Love it. And that’s the beauty about having to create your own schedule, right? You’re not on anybody else’s schedule. You just create your own. So if you like working nine-to-five that’s on you. Like, that’s what you like to do.
Spencer:
Yeah.
Debbie:
If you’d like to play pickleball like Spencer, you do you.
Spencer:
Exactly. And that’s like an ideal day. That’s not my traditional schedule. Like, my wife just had to leave town for two or three days and we were able to switch the schedule right in there. I watched the kids for three days and she’s at the lake and stuff. She’s having a great time for 3 days.
So the beauty of it is in a way you can just instantly switch it when you need to and not go ask somebody if that’s okay.
Debbie:
Yeah, exactly. That’s one of the best things.
Where do you think is the best location to live as a remote worker?
Spencer:
If I was a single remote worker, I would be living in Thailand for sure. It’s cheap, great internet. Everyone I know has done it, loves it. I’ve been there and loved it, not as a remote worker, just everything about it.
Thailand or the Philippines, one of those two would be absolutely you should end up.
Debbie:
Love it. Yeah. Southeast Asia is the best and I will second the Philippines ’cause I’m Filipino. So, I’m very biased to that.
Alright. So if you can have one superpower, Spencer, what would it be?
Spencer:
It would be to breathe underwater. I have an ear issue so I can’t scuba and I love oceans and like snorkeling and stuff but I’ve never been able to scuba because I can’t adjust. And so I would love to be able to do that.
Debbie:
That’s awesome. I’ve asked this to, like, I don’t even know how many people I’ve interviewed, I’ve never had that answer before.
Spencer:
It’s a pretty weak superpower if that’s what you’re going for.
Debbie:
You’ll be like, “Yeah, I could be like a merman.” Oh my God.
Spencer:
That would work too. Whatever it takes to get under there.
Debbie:
Yeah. That’s awesome.
Alright. So last question. What’s the one thing you wish you did sooner?
Spencer:
I wish I would have learned about alternatives to a 9 to 5 job sooner.
I was probably 25 before I even realized that an alternative existed. In my head it was like, you go to high school, after high school, you go to college or you go live in a garbage can. Like, those are like, “That’s it. Those are your two choices in life.”
And so, I wish I would have kind of learned that there were a lot of ways that people were doing different things long before that so I could have been kind of steering in that direction. But that’s a hindsight thing and I’m sure that conversations and opportunities came my way that were ignored by me during those times.
Debbie:
Yeah. When it’s not really on your radar you kind of tune it out. And you’re just like, “Yeah, whatever. These people are crazy. So good that you found out about it.
Spencer:
Yeah.
Debbie:
Like, “Yeah, that’s good for you.”
Spencer:
Like, “Oh that’s great for you.” And I’m like, “You just told me how much you hated your job and I told you this and you said, ‘Great.’ Why?”
Debbie:
You’re like, “You’ll figure it out probably a decade from now and then you’re going to remember this conversation we had.
And then you’re gonna be like, “By then, I’ll be retired.”
Spencer:
Exactly. I’ll just calm down because I got nothing.
Debbie:
Yeah, exactly.
So, thank you so much, Spencer, for being here with us today.
If our listeners want to know more about you, where can I find you?
Spencer:
If you type in the word buildapreneur, they’ll end up either on my YouTube channel or my website: Buildapreneur.com. And both of those are great places to just start learning about affiliate marketing for free.
Debbie:
Thank you so much, Spencer. We really appreciate you and we can’t wait to dig into your website to learn more and hopefully, we’ll talk to you soon again.
Spencer:
You as well. Thank you so much.
Listen to Spencer’s extended interview where he shares how to automate affiliate marketing using YouTube.
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In this episode, Spencer will teach you how to effectively automate affiliate marketing using the power of YouTube.
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