Even back in the days when I was running PAW, I had always dreamed of running my own poker conference. Nothing feels better than achieving something that has been a goal for several years. And unlike some of my goals, hosting an affiliate conference is no small task.

Luckily our business partners at igaming business are experts in the logistics of these things. There is so much that goes into the planning of an event like this, it is mind boggling.

I am very happy however with the way this event has shaped up. Looking at the attendee list today, we are expecting around 400 people to be in attendance. Of these 400, roughly 250 are affiliates. Many are amongst some of Europe’s biggest poker affiliates as well. My goal with this conference was to provide the maximum value for both affiliates and the exhibitors who will be attending.

Because I love poker, I also wanted to make the ASOP one of the sweetest yet. I picked up the $10,000 diamond bracelet tonight, and part of me wishes I could play in the event just for that. Not too mention the $10K WSOP package we are giving away to the winner as well.

I am set to meet up with Devilfish when we get there, and between him, Greg, myself, Alex, and Caselli, I can only imagine the shenanigans that will take place in the evening on this island. It should be one for the books.

I have to be honest for a minute though, before this I knew nothing about event planning. And even today, it is still a learning process. I often write about “surrounding yourself with successful people“, I am thankful we do just this with Alex and the team at igaming. They have done a kick ass job as always and deserve many props.

I am already thinking about the next poker conference and where to host it. Although Cyprus is awesome, I realize it is very far and can be costly for U.S. and Canadian affiliates. Next year I would like to see 1000+ affiliates there. So with that I need to plan a destination. I love Europe, but for the love of God, we are there for every other conference.

Obviously we cannot do a conference in the U.S., and with Spring Break the same week, we need to be somewhere tropical. I would love to see a conference get back to an area however where more U.S. and Canadians can attend. My initial thought is Bermuda, since it is an easy flight from the U.S. and not relatively far from the U.K.

I’ll try to keep this blog updated if we have good internet access in Cyprus. If not, see you on the flipside bitches.

Jeremy

Although I have learned a ton from people much more successful than me, below are 5 things I have learned from being friends with people who are literally worth millions of dollars (aka certified ballers).

1. It’s better to have small equity in several things than big equity in one thing - This really comes down to diversification. You should never put all your eggs in one basket. The key to building wealth is being able to absorb the losses or failures with the big successes. If you’re diversified, one failure should never hurt your overall business.

2. Never spend your own money when there is venture capital or investors waiting in the wings - All the true millionaires I know have at one point leveraged other peoples money or utilized venture capital at some point to build their wealth. Think about it for a second, it makes sense. And it makes even more sense as an investor or VC when you can simply leverage your money on a great idea to give you a nice return for doing no work.

3. Surround yourself with, or hire other brilliant people who can make money for you - Very few of the multi-millionaires I know have done it as a one man show. Most have hired other successful people and simply pay them a salary or a % to make more money for themselves. If you’re “working for the man”, and generating a ton of revenue, then you may understand what I am talking about unfortunately. Most millionaires also are literally making money while they sleep courtesy of someone else’s work.

4. Leverage your existing money to make you more money - There is a truth to the saying that your first million is the hardest. Once you have millions of dollars you can diversify and spread it out to make you even more money. Hence you become one of the people in #2 making money while doing nothing, and growing your wealth just because you have the money to invest.

5. More Money, More Problems - Having multiple streams of income and businesses really creates a lot of chaos in your life. Although it may sound like fun to have your hands in multiple things, every day is a new day of dealing with “issues”. Although the money is great, living this type of lifestyle will never be a 9-5 job. If you want to be a millionaire you have to be willing to put in the hours and deal with all the daily annoyances that comes along with running multiple businesses.

I realize many people reading this blog are entrepreneurs and have ambitions to make millions someday. So these are just some of the real life observations I have seen from people that do make millions. Emulate it!

So today is my birthday and I am the big 32. I guess what’s weird is that after you turn 30, birthdays really don’t matter. To be honest I really don’t like birthdays anymore, because the thought of getting old really sucks.

But I suppose it is a day that happens every year and I am suppose to celebrate it. I am more excited about my daughters birthday which is the next day. That was the best birthday present I ever got 5 years ago.

Even though I am turning 32, I am still young in most people’s eyes. However in the affiliate industry, it somewhat makes me old… I love this though. Many of the other affiliates I speak with on a daily basis are all in their early 20’s. If I could go back 10 years I promise you I would be retired right now. Those of you fellow affiliate marketers that read this blog who are still in that age bracket, listen close!

You are in a position unlike most people your age. You have the opportunity to literally make a great life for yourself and build a terrific income before you even turn 30! Make it happen!

If you’re a young affiliate without a wife and kids, now is the time to bust your ass and work mad hours. Trust me, when you get to 32 (cringe) you will be a very happy person. The problem with most people in their early 20’s is that they want to get out of college and make 100K a year while doing nothing. The poker affiliate industry is different though. I see young guys working it and making more than most 50 year olds make after being in Corporate America for 30 years.

Likewise when you are younger, you can afford to take some risks. If there is ever a time in your life to take financial risks, while your young is the time to do it. Money comes and goes, but even to this day I realize that it takes money to make money. Luckily when you’re young however and have a tremendous amount of earning potential, it doesn’t really matter. All it takes is one good investment in the internet market, and a shit load of work and it can return you great money.

I am happy where I am at being 32 years old. But holy cow, I would love to get 10 years back in our industry. The younger guys reading this that are embracing the affiliate industry and learning every day are in the drivers seat. You are the ones that will be owning this industry 10 years from now.

In closing Happy Birthday To Me Bitches! I plan on not working at all today and spending time with my wife and kids before I go to Cyprus for 11 days. Actually I have something really special planned for my wife around 11:00 A.M. tonight for my birthday……I already gave her the tutorial.

On a serious note though, if you are in your early 20’s and an affiliate marketer, you are a very lucky individual. Make the most out of it and build your empire now.

Here is some quick link love to Kaus who is doing a new site about online poker as well. If you want to watch someone build a new and profitable poker affiliate site, keep an eye on this one.

If you want the full effect of this message, click on the video on the right hand side of this blog and listen……then go back and watch.

Anyways, before I got into this fun business of internet marketing, I spent almost 10 years volunteering as a firefighter. I have done CPR on probably over 100 people in my life. Likewise I have been in several people’s homes while their loved ones were experiencing the worst days anyone could ever imagine.

This is where I get my drive and what has made me who I am today. During this time I was making awful money doing a noble job. But it made me realize that life is very short and you can’t wait to make things happen in life. You need to do it NOW!

Although you may not be where you want to be right now (none of us are), it doesn’t matter. Enjoy the fact that you are an entrepreneur and out there trying to make it happen. Take a step back for a moment and realize all the great things you have in the here and now.

How many of your buddies are making ANY money online? Probably none, keep in mind though, there is a lot more important things in this world than just money. You could be gone next week, and quite frankly, it won’t matter how you rank in the SERPS, or how many new players you are sending each month.

I was inspired to write this post because we had my oldest daughters birthday party today. I had all my family at my house and it really made me think about what is truly important. Likewise I have a friend right now who’s wife is going through the trials and tribulations of breast cancer.

So I ask everyone reading this to just step back for a minute and think about what you have today and how you never know what tomorrow brings. Personally, I don’t ever want to look back and say “I should have done that”. Fu** that, there is too much out there to be had!

You should make every day count both personally and professionally. Never forget that you only have one chance in this world to make BIG things happen. Why not shoot for the stars with your goals?
Enjoy life today and make the most out of every minute.

And most importantly, always remember the people who got you there, and that there’s way more to living a good life than collecting affiliate checks.

Make it a great week!

This is not meant to be offensive. If you are a feminist or easily offended, please…..please click the X in the upper right hand corner.

The best part about this post is that I was not the original author so I can not be held responsible. Have a great weekend everyone. As always feel free to print this out and hang on your refrigerators.

Oh, and just for the record, it appears that this was written by a women. Somewhere in the world, there is one lucky dude.

50 Mistakes Women Make When Having Sex

1. Assuming he can get a raging hard on when it suits you. Contrary to popular belief, men can’t just flip a switch and get it up because you decided to stop being a frigid bitch. Getting it hard is your job. I suggest you figure it out.

2. Thinking that kissing needs to be this sweet romantic thing all the time. Sometimes pressing your lips against your partners mouth while you get off is the hot. It depends on the situation.

3. Leaving him responsible for your orgasm. You know what gets you off. Tell him. If you don’t, it’s your own fault when he’s snoozing and you’re all wound up.

4. Expecting him to cuddle. Men and women are wired differently. Sex makes most women want to talk and bond and all that shit. It makes men pass out. It’s a biological thing. Stop fighting it, and stop holding it over his head, it’s not his fault.

5. Expecting him to fall asleep with you in his arms. That shit is uncomfortable after awhile. A little snuggling isn’t unreasonable, but when it’s time to actually sleep? An arm draped over you should suffice.

6. Expecting him to always lay on the charm and romance. Sometimes, that’s nice. Sometimes. But expecting him to be all roses and candles all the time is like expecting you to act like a pornstar all the time. If you’re not willing to do that, don’t expect him to switch for you.

7. Being selfish in bed. Regardless of the shit that Cosmo forces down our throats, sex is NOT just about us. Get over it.

8. Using Cosmo as a sex bible. I dont know who comes up with half that shit, but I’m pretty sure they need counseling.

9. Whining when he pushes your head down on his cock instead of stroking your hair. Know why he’s pushing, skippy? Because you aren’t doing it right, and have apparently ignored the other clues he’s given you. Pay attention to the signals that he’s sending you.

10. Not moving at all. Missionary is not an excuse to do nothing.

11. Expecting him to undress himself with any amount of grace. He’s about to get some pussy. Be glad he bothered to take his pants all the way off. If it concerns you so much, undress him yourself.

12. Not shaving your legs. Im pretty bad at this myself. But if you want your guy stubble free, you better get out the razor.

13. Allowing your crotch to resemble the amazon. Yes, waxing hurts. Yes, some people don’t want to go bare. Thats fine. If you like bush, great. If you have sensitive skin and can’t shave, I feel for you. But for the love of Christ, trim that shit if you want him to spend any time down there.

14. Assuming that sex means a relationship. The only relationship you have is that he has now stuck his hoo hoo dilly in your cha cha. That’s as far as it goes unless otherwise noted.

15. Withholding oral sex just because you’re ragging. He didn’t do it. Unless you want him to withhold oral sex because he’s hormonal, I suggest you get some kneepads.

16. Expecting him to figure out what you like by what noise you make. Use your words. Have you ever actually heard what you sound like while you’re having sex? If you heard yourself on tape, and someone asked you to explain what was causing you to make that noise, 67% of women would respond with answers like “I stubbed my toe” “I ran up the steps” or “I was putting up drywall”.

17. Leaving condoms up to him. If you’re sexually active and insist that he uses a condom, I suggest buying a box and keeping it by your bed. Not all men keep them on them, and it’s just as much your responsibility as it is his. If you think that makes you a slut, you shouldn’t be having sex anyway. Go back to Jr High.

18. Getting your undies in a bunch when he talks dirty. A little fantasy can be fun. If he treats you with respect all the time, you shouldn’t be offended when he calls you his dirty little slut. When he calls you a whore and tells you to come, its his way of showing that he cares if you get off. Stop being a sissy.

19. Refusing to be spontaneous. I know this is shocking, but sometimes sex OUTSIDE of the bedroom is fun.

20. Dissing quickies because it’s not some slow sensual ordeal. Sex is a dynamic thing. Theres an awesome raw energy when you only have 20 minutes but having to have someone so bad that you do it half clothed against the wall. Readjust your thinking.

21. Being too much of a pussy to tell him what is or isn’t acceptable before you start bumping uglies. Be honest. If he asks if he can poke you in the butt, and you giggle and say no like it’s an invitation, don’t look surprised when he “accidentally” sticks his cock in your butt.

22. Expecting him to undress you. I put a bra on almost every day. I know for a fact that getting them off isn’t always easy. Help a brother out.

23. Undressing in the dark. If youre shy, dim the lights, but give the man something to see. No ripping off the clothes and diving under the covers, either.

24. Refusing to get on top. Theres no reason men should have to do all the work.

25. Getting that bored look on your face. Men are more visual than women. Give him something to look at. Get on top and arch your back a little bit. Move. Do something to indicate that you 1) are not dead and 2) didn’t suffer a minor stroke rendering you unable to move.

26. Expecting him to do all the touching when you’re riding him. It’s your body, you’re used to it. Play with your tits, rub your clit, do something to make his job easier.

27. Being too afraid to guide your partner’s hand when hes touching you. Don’t like the way he’s doing it? Gently take his hand and show him how you like it.

28. Getting into bed, getting naked, fooling around and then deciding that you just want to cuddle, then getting offended when he doesn’t. Its your choice to stop, but don’t look all fucking surprised when he’s confused. You got him naked in your bed, what else did you think was going to happen?

29. Refusing to let him take control. So your a feminist. Big fucking deal. Letting him call the shots doesn’t make you any less of one.

30. Refusing to take control. Its ok to crawl across a bed to him on all fours, push him down and crawl on top. It’s not his responsibility to start things all the time.

31. Forgetting that he has a body that likes to be touched, too. Men have things like backs and shoulders and stomachs and other parts that are fun to kiss and touch. You miss a lot of good places by concentrating solely on his penis.

32. Ignoring his balls. Seriously, they are there. Kiss them, lick them, suck on them, make a relationship with them, just don’t ignore them.

33. Leaving him to his own devices. Nothing is worse than a girl who gets you most of the way off and then bolts because she doesn’t want to deal with the mess.

34. Launching into some speech about not being an object for sex when he tries to titty fuck you. Jesus Christ, just push them together and enjoy yourself. You get a great view.

35. Expecting him to handle you like a porcelain doll. I’d hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re not going to break, sister. So doing it against the wall gives you a bruise on your shoulder. Look at it later and giggle at the memory.

36. Refusing to try things in the name of “making love”. You’re not making anything. You are naked. With another person. Making strange faces and weird noises. Stop romanticizing it.

37. Taking things way too seriously. Sex is funny. Actually it’s hilarious. Somewhere along the line, someone is going to fall off of a bed, hit their head on a lighting fixture, accidentally kick a midget or trip over a goat. It’s how you deal with it that really matters.

38. Throwing a bitch fit when he asks for a 3 some. Its the American dream. (I know my ex is reading this right now, so a quick interjection. One request for a 3 some is ok. Every 5 minutes, not so much. Know the difference).

39. Continuing a blow job knowing that you have god awful cotton mouth. Really. Grab a bottle of water.

40. Nails. Its one thing tracing them up and down your partners back. Its another when you snag the goods with a claw.

41. Bitching when you get jizz on you. You’re having sex. That will happen. Thats the entire point of sex. Establish where he can and cant jizz and be done with it. Remember, it tightens the pores.

42. Not making any noises at all. Moan. Scream his name. Something so he knows he’s the best you’ve had, even if he isn’t.

43. Faking orgasms. Just Don’t. By faking (IF he believes you) he thinks he’s doing everything right. And if he doesn’t know its not working, he’s not going to change it. Starting a vicious cycle of unfulfilling sex which will eventually be very damaging to his ego.

44. Not washing before sex. I know that sex is spontaneous, this is more of a general statement. If you haven’t showered that day, and things smell a little…fishy…perhaps demanding oral sex is a little ridiculous of you.

45. Anything that involves inserting anything into his body that he has not specifically approved before hand. I don’t care what Cosmo says, some things are simply not pleasant surprises.

46. Refusing to use oils/whipped cream/other messy but fun things, because you have 541510630 count Egyptian cotton sheets that were made by hand by the only person alive capable of sewing that pattern. They’ll wash.

47. Doing all of your before bed things before sex. Yes, sleeping with makeup on is bad. Now is not the time to remove it, you can do that later. And really fucking you with your hair in a ratty scrunchie with acne cream on your nose is not all its cracked up to be.

48. Cleaning up after sex. Wiping the splooge off is one thing. But changing the sheets immediately so you can get the other ones in the washer and then sanitizing everything your naked body might have possibly passed by is not the way to do it.

49. Making a big deal out of it if he loses his hard on. This is not an interrogation, or 20 questions. It happens, he’s probably mortified and you are NOT helping. Refrain from using phrases like “it happens to every guy”. Just move to other activities until it gets hard again, and if it doesn’t, get off another way with him. He’s still capable of getting you off. Mumbling “Forget it” and rolling over are not ok.

50. Asking questions right afterwards. The woman equivalent of “was it good for you?”. Now is not a good time to ask “What this means”. Right now, it means he probably needs to take a drink, a leak and a nap, perhaps not in that order

Below are 3 of my friends sites you have to go to. Bookmark them and click on their adsense. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.

TradeBarryZito.com

This is a buddy of mine who is obviously a disgruntled San Francisco fan. But the header on his says it all, he sucks, he gets paid to much, and he needs to be traded. I remember feeling the same way for a couple bosses I used to work for. Either way it is good to see a fellow affiliate marketer displaying his time management skills by sharing his gripes about a team who by all rights sucks and will continue sucking with or without Barry Zito. Play on playa.

Here’s your link love:

Barry Zito Sucks and for the love of god, if I don’t see San Francisco commence a Barry Zito Trade in the next few months, I may never watch baseball again.

Trade Barry Zito

PartyPoser.com

Next up we have my homeboy from the AP offices, we’ll refer to him as Mr. Miyagi for now. This site is awesome and could easily get big if they keep updating it. Be sure to check it out if you want some good laughs. Alot of the pictures on there remind me of how ridiculous the club scene can be in California. That’s why I prefer to hang out in the Rockford bars sipping on $1.50 cans of Busch Light.

Here’s your link love, hooker:

After further review I found PartyPoser to be a delighful site filled with great pictures of club rats & emo fags. I was also pleasantly surprised to find a few hot bitches surrounded by metro douches.

CookingApprentice.com

Next we have another friend of mine over at AP who shall remain nameless. For now, we will just call her the “Indian Princess”. I am a big fan of this cooking site because every wife should be blogging about the great home cooked meals they are preparing for their husbands each night.

If every women in the world would take their wife duties this serious, the world would be a happier place. I prefer to have my wife show me a schedule of the proposed weekly meals for my approval every Sunday night. For more info, please reference The Good Wife’s Guide.

Anywho, here is your link love:

While looking on the internet for new ideas on dishes my wife can prepare, I ran across this awesome cooking website that had some of the best cooking recipes I have ever seen. It is clear that this women understands the principal that a well fed husband is a happy husband.

This is one of the most exciting times I have experienced in my professional life so far. I am very thankful for what I have and where I have been in the past. Throughout my career I have always seen various business moves as “going to the next level”. I feel as if I am about to take another one of these steps in the coming six months. Not nessecarily with the consulting company I am going to write about in the next paragraph, but just life and business in general.

Sometimes poker players and professional athletes will talk about being on the top of their game. With my 29th 32nd birthday coming up in a week, I feel as if now is the time to make big things happen, and I’m mentally ready to put in the effort.

So, in regards to the title of this post. I have done a fair amount of private consulting over the past few years, much of it has been with some of the big online poker affiliate programs or companies. Throughout 2008 though I have been so busy I have not been accepting any consulting opportunities.

Amazingly though I have an affiliate consulting tab on this site that still generates consistent leads each month. All year I have felt like there has been a ton of money left on the table by not pursuing more consulting work. With my new partners at Affiliate Programs Inc. I now have the resources to launch a proper and professional consulting company. We already have a handful leads, however to be honest we are only looking to work with first class companies. The company has been established as ChipStackMedia.com.

As much as I’d love to bring on tons of clients, I’d rather only bring on really good clients who I am confident we can take them to the next level.

Ideally I’d love to work with a few start-up poker sites, as well as a few established poker sites. Our goal with the consulting company is to take good affiliate programs to great. Not only will Greg and I be managing the consulting company, I imagine we will be growing our overall staff quite a bit over the next 12 months as well.

Either way I am strapping my seatbelt on for a fun ride throughout the rest of the year!

Like anybody else, there have been times in my career when I have gotten frustrated, or busted my ass on something only to make no head way. When you find yourself in a situation like this, it is imperative that you change your way of thinking.

I remember when I first started in affiliate marketing, it was as simple as putting up a website, buying some PPC, and doing a little SEO. Next thing you know, you were making money. Unfortunately the internet marketing business has become much more competitive and difficult, regardless of what vertical you are in.

I’ll use the poker affiliate market as an example since many of the readers here are poker affiliates. If you are starting a new poker affiliate site in 2008, you are not going to be successful unless you do something that is “outside the box”. For example, you can build a pretty site, review all the rooms, buys some links, and do some SEO. Guess what though? 1000 other affiliates are going to do this exact same thing in the next 12 months.

When I say “outside the box”, I also don’t mean some crazy viral idea either (although that would help). However you have to do something original that no one else is doing. Whether it be something original within your SEO strategy, or you overall site idea, think originality.

Lately my favorite magazine has become Fast Company. I love this magazine because every month you can read about entrepreneurs who basically started with an original idea, and in many cases minimal funding. Many of these entrepreneurs have built multi-million dollar business empires from scratch inside of 24 months.

That brings me to the next point. Think Big, and get out of your comfort zone. If you want to make hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars; the odds are you are going to have to do more than just be a poker affiliate or one man affiliate marketer.

Life is to damn short to not go out and make big things happen. My suggesstion to anyone reading this that may be in a situation where things are not happening fast enough, or you feel like you have hit a wall is the following.

Take a day or two to relax, and most importantly forget about your frustrations. During this time reflect on where you’ve been and where you want to get to in the coming years. Get your thought process to an elevated level, and think with a clear head forgetting about anything negative in your life.

You surely know how to write a business plan, right? How about writing a “life plan” on where you want to be and what goals you want to accomplish. If you have a clear vision of these goals, it will make the business part much easier.

If you have a clear vision of your life’s goals and dreams, when you think outside the box, it’s not impossible to see the rest will magically fall into place. Make it a great week!

My daughter came home from pre-school the other day with this poem and her footprints on the paper. She is only 5 years old so she really doesn’t even understand what the poem means.

After I read this poem she had brought home, it somewhat touched me and got me thinking. Lately I have been traveling a ton and working very late hours. Unfortunately there is just not enough time in the day! One of the perks however of working out of a home office is that you can take short breaks during the day, or even go in the house and have lunch with the kids.

I really don’t want to wake up someday and say wow, my girls are all grown up! When I do get time with them I try to make it as quality as possible. If I am not working and my kids are awake, you better believe I am playing with them and not being a lazy ass on the couch watching T.V.

Anyhow, I just wanted to share this poem on the blog for any of you guys or gals that also have kids. For me it helped bring things back into perspective and realize why I work so hard.

Walk A Little Slower Daddy

“Walk a Little slower, Daddy.” said a little child so small.
I’m following in your footsteps and I don’t want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast, sometimes they’re hard to see;
So walk a little slower Daddy, for you are leading me.

Someday when I’m all grown up, You’re what I want to be.
Then I will have a little child who’ll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right, and know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy, for I must follow you!!

~author unknown

Every entrepreneur or millionaire I know can probably count on one hand the ultimate successes that got them to where they’re at. Yet each could probably fill a book with the stories on their failures. When I look back over the past 10 years of my professional life, I have to shake my head at some of the decisions I’ve made. I have failed at so many projects, sites, and ventures it is almost comical. The good news however is that the ones that worked out have put me exactly where I want to be in life.

I have a great home, a career that I always dreamed of, and most importantly a great family at the age of 31. The times I have failed or lost a ton of money in various endeavors sucks, I am not going to lie about that. The thing is though that I was able to put these failures behind me and keep moving forward to achieve my goals.

What I see far to often happen when people fail is that they give up. People get discouraged and just go back to their comfort zones. One of the other most important attributes you see in successful people is perseverance. It’s not that “failure is not an option” for these people, it’s that they NEVER GIVE UP when faced with failure.

So no matter what mistakes you have made, or what failures you have encountered, there are 3 things you need to do:

1. Accept the failure

2. Learn from the failure

3. Stay Positive and move on with your life’s goals.

The beauty about being an entrepreneur is that you get as many chances as you want to try new things in your path to success. The unfortunate thing however is when you look at the big picture, in life you only get one chance to “make it happen”. So stop procrastinating or feeling sorry for yourself about past failures. Right now is the time to get out of your comfort zone and take some risks. And always remember, there truly are a million ways to make a million dollars, you only have to find one. Make it a great week!