Affiliate Buzz | Affiliate Marketing / Affiliate Programs / Internet / Online / Social Media Marketing - James Martell

AB #346 | Jim Kukral: How to Grow Your Brand with a Book (and Build Your Dream Lifestyle)


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In this edition of the Affiliate Buzz, host and Instructor of the Affiliate Marketers BootCamp, James Martell, is joined by Jim Kukral, internet pioneer, author and speaker. This week they are discussing how writing a book can help your brand or business gain extra online exposure.
Jim Kukral is a successful entrepreneur who has written several books aiming to teach others how they can achieve their dream lifestyle through their own business. This is something which aligns with last week’s edition about having the lifestyle you want.
He has helped both small and large businesses achieve success. These businesses include FedEx, Sherwin-Williams, Ernst and Young and Progressive Auto Insurance. Each one he has taught how to build a successful online business or supported them in re-energizing or refreshing their brand.
He has developed creative marketing campaigns, new products and advised on how businesses can increase their bottom lines while working less. Because of his work, Jim has been featured in numerous publications including: The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine.
Jim Kukral’s Journey To Success
Jim wasn’t always his own boss. In 1995, Jim worked for a telecoms company designing Yellow Pages advertisements. One day a friend called him and asked if would bring his graphic design skills to a new web agency they were starting.
On his first day he was given a book on HTML and was told to learn it. This was a time when the internet was new and no-one really knew how to best use the internet. It was also the year that Sergey Brin met Larry Page; both would go on to found Google.
The new company Jim worked for had big connections with some top brands and none of them had websites. Jim was able to design the first websites for Ernst and Young and Sherwin-Williams. According to Jim this was an exciting time.
The company boomed and within a couple of years had over 150 employees. Then Jim left to start his own agency – FenderTech. This company set out to automate the manufacturing processes for manufacturers.
Still the business was successful and from the five that it started with, the business grew to 160 employees. Then the dotcom bubble burst and the funding for the majority of their start-up clients disappeared. Jim’s business lost clients and they went from 160 employees to just 16.
This was the point where Jim decided to get out and never own a big business again.
James also talks about the effect the crash had on Vancouver, often considered the Silicon Valley of the north.
During this part of the podcast, Jim discusses some of these points:

* What his biggest regret has been.
* Why he didn’t want to work for someone else or own a big company himself.
* What part Iquit.org played in his career and how Amazon Affiliates helped.
* How the Google Florida update in November 2003 changed his business.

One of the most important aspects of being in business, as Jim puts it, is getting yourself out there. There was a moment when he read a book by Shawn Collins and decided to send him an email stating he had a business and asked if he could help Shawn in any way. Within 30 minutes Shawn replied back saying he needed a logo and from there their relationship grew.
A Book Is The Best Business Card You Can Have
James remembers listening to Jim as a keynote speaker at Affiliate Summit. Jim at the time had published one book, now several others have been published.
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Affiliate Buzz | Affiliate Marketing / Affiliate Programs / Internet / Online / Social Media Marketing - James MartellBy James Martell: Online Entrepreneur, Speaker and Podcaster