For the Entrepreneur Archives - Affiliate Marketing with Missy Ward, Affiliate Summit Co-Founder & Co-CEO

Security Cameras: Much More than Just Theft Prevention

by Missy Ward

For years, security cameras have been associated with the prevention of burglaries and little else. Especially in a business setting, cameras have been traditionally used to deter criminals or to help identify the perpetrator if a crime has been committed.

But although these are very valuable uses of security cameras, it turns out that businesses can use these devices in numerous additional ways. Here are some of the most beneficial:

Create a Safe Workplace Environment

When people come to work every day, it’s imperative that they feel safe. If an employee is walking to her car in the dark when she stayed to work late, or the person in charge of handling cash in the office has concerns about being targeted, all employees must know that you, the employer, is watching out for them.

This is one of the best reasons to invest in high-quality security cameras. There are numerous options available, some of which are wireless and some of which don’t require technical installation. Whichever option is best for your company, it’s important your employees know that they have security cameras there to protect them and ensure their safety. Read more “Security Cameras: Much More than Just Theft Prevention” →

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Four Ways Female Small Business Owners Can Jump Financing…

by Missy Ward

Female entrepreneurship is flourishing. In 2016, there were an estimated 11.3 million women-owned businesses in the United States, generating $1.6 trillion annually. Between 2007 and 2016, women-owned businesses grew at a rate of 45 percent, five times faster than average.

Four Ways Female Small Business Owners Can Jump Financing Hurdles

But finding financing remains more challenging for female entrepreneurs than their male counterparts. Only 29 percent of female small business owners who seek business loans succeed, compared to 37 percent of all small business owners, a survey by Pepperdine and Dun & Bradstreet found. If you’re struggling to find financing, here are four strategies to help get your business on the right track. Read more “Four Ways Female Small Business Owners Can Jump Financing Hurdles” →

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What Tom Brady Can Teach Us About Business

by Missy Ward

(Dedicated to the memory of Jon Nunez, the biggest Tom Brady fan I know. The affiliate marketing industry still misses you very much.)

Back in the seventies, I remember watching an episode of Sesame Street where Kermit sang, “It’s Not Easy Bein’ Green.” Little did I know that the wise hand puppet’s song would eventually become my mantra, as a long-suffering fan of the New York Jets.

Photo of Tom Brady by Jeffrey Beall - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link — Photo of Tom Brady by Jeffrey Beall – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

In as much as die-hard Jet’s fans know how difficult it is to remain loyal to our team, I know they’ll appreciate how hard it is for me to write the following sentence:

Tom Brady, of the New England Deflatriots, is undeniably one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

(Heh, heh. See what I did there? I'm such a Jets fan!)

The Tom Brady Story

Tom Brady played baseball in high school. His skills as a left-handed hitting catcher impressed MLB scouts, which got him drafted by the Montreal Expos.

But Brady was much more passionate about football, so he passed up a future in baseball, and signed with the University of Michigan as their quarterback. Unfortunately, he wasn’t exactly Heisman material during his time on the Wolverines, and many NFL scouts ignored him.

In 2000, the Patriots drafted Brady with the 199th pick in the 6th round. Bill Belichick, previously the Jets' assistant coach, became the Patriot’s head coach that season and made Brady a fourth string QB.

By the end of the year, Brady, was backup, and got the start in 2001 when the Jets Mo Lewis knocked out Drew Bledsoe.

Since then, he’s taken the Patriots to the Super Bowl six times with four victories. He’s won three Super Bowl MVP awards, and has led his team to more division titles than any other quarterback in NFL history.

On top of the $196.1 million he earned as a quarterback, he’s also received $184.9 million in endorsement deals, making the “business of Tom Brady” something to be revered.

Here are some lessons from Tom Brady’s story that can help you score on your own field.

Don’t Settle for What Comes First

Whether it’s a job opportunity or getting involved in a new startup, don’t jump on the first offer that comes your way. Brady shows us that waiting for the right opportunity, doing something you're passionate about, can work out much better.

Work Hard Every Day Until You’ve Accomplished Your Goals

Tom Brady sweats the details. He drills for hours, on every single skill, even during the off-season, to ensure no one surpasses him. His determination and work ethic are fundamental to his success.

Haters Gonna Hate

Like other successful people, Tom Brady has haters –lots of them. Rather than letting them get in his way, he tunes out their noise, and then puts them all to shame by working harder to achieve his goals.

Steer Clear of the Asterisk

One of the most important assets of any business is integrity. Compromising it goes on your permanent record. Brady will retire as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time with an everlasting asterisk by his name.

Even, as a Jets fan, I take no joy in that. Erright… maybe just a little.

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Growing Your Business: What to Do and Stop Doing…

by Missy Ward

[clickToTweet tweet=”In the first years of your startup, the prize won't likely be $1M in the bank; it'll be survival.” quote=”In the first few years of your startup, the prize probably won't be a million bucks in the bank; it’s going to be survival. It’s staying hungry and staying afloat.” theme=”style2″]

I've been in marketing since 1989. Yeah. That long. You know… before the World Wide Web became publicly available.

At the end of 1999, I landed in the affiliate marketing industry. Before I knew it, it was 2003, and I was starting up Affiliate Summit with my business partner, Shawn Collins.

I was a broke, single mom of a 2-1/2-year-old. Shawn was the sole provider of a growing family and not making a lot of money either.

But we had big dreams; weren't afraid of working hard, and we had a lot of stick-to-itiveness.

While it’s fun to work toward becoming a mogul, it’s rarely glamorous, and it requires more hard work than I could have imagined. That’s the bad news. Read more “Growing Your Business: What to Do and Stop Doing to Be More Successful” →

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