This interview is with David Wilkinson - 13-Year Old Super Affiliate

David of http://www.techzi.net and http://www.affiliatedefined.com is perhaps the most impressive 13yr old I have ever came across

As you read this interview you will be tempted to think – is this guy REAL? Especially when you read the maturity of reply and the WISDOM of David.

So at the end of this interview – check out some of the back-up links we have provided, like BBC.co.uk and ProBlogger.net

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David Wilkinson - From Video Game Nerd to Internet Entrepreneur aged 13

Hi David, thank you for agreeing to this interview – first, Who is David? What do you do?

David? Ah - he's a little kid from the UK who's heavily into affiliate marketing. Does some stuff on the Internet so far as I'm aware and makes an impressive amount of moolah. He's a strategist and a tactician and he's currently spending all his time on launching Affiliate Defined: The Affiliate Marketing Revolution which is set to go live on February 13th.


What inspired you to create your first website?

I'm a geek. I'd been playing an online role-play game for a while and I decided to look at how I could launch a free website on providing game tips. Though I never got round to doing so, I stumbled upon blogging and launched a technology blog during my '06 summer holidays, aged 12, which quickly gained popularity due to my frequent updates (five or six times a day) and ever-changing style of writing. I learned so much from the first few months in which I started blogging, I wouldn't have exchanged the hours I ploughed in for anything.

How long did it take you to start making money and how?

All of three days, though it was a minimal amount at the time. I tried out AdSense pretty much as soon as I'd got started and wasn't really making anything significant. It was October 2006 before I started making my first few hundred dollars - so two months roughly. Let's just say AdSense wasn't my main earner. ;)


What were the main challenges you faced?

A mentor (or lack thereof). I needed someone to push me in the right direction in my early days and I became so consumed by marketing hype that I occasionally lost focus. Surround yourself with the right people - people who you want to be like, and you'll get far more done in a shorter space of time. You'll also find yourself becoming more like these people who you look up to and admire and in turn become somebody who others seek to model.


What single factor would you say helped you the most in getting to where you are today?

One factor. Two words. "Burning desire." I've always wanted to achieve something so I took action and set to work...


Did you ever think you would be so successful?

Naturally, I expected to have success to some degree, however nothing could have prepared me for the tremendous reception I've been receiving the past few months behind the scenes in the Internet Marketing world.


You are only 13 years old, how does running a business at such a young age effect your social life?

It's tricky. The past few months I must admit, my social life has been pretty much dead. Once my Feb 13th deadline is out of the way though, I sincerely hope things will return back to normal. I'd never previously had a problem with work/life balance, however it's becoming increasingly apparent these days that I'm spending more time working on business than I am with friends.


If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started. What business related advice would you give yourself?

Without a doubt... Play with your strengths. I wasted 3 months trying something I knew I wasn't good at before I finally switched focus, and my profitability hasn't just soared, it's... I can't put the difference into words, but let me tell you. Everybody has strengths, talents and skills. In my case, I love writing and recording videos just didn't work for me. It was a great angle, but I couldn't execute my plans.


Do you think that entrepreneurialism is something that is in your blood? Or is it something that can be learned?

I think certain aspects can be learned and taught - but only to a certain degree. A driving passion to succeed is not something that any book will teach you. Areas of entrepreneurialism can be implanted into your brain through rigorous training (business management, the importance of working in a team, AdWords skills, general abilities) but the entrepreneur's mindset is a whole new matter...


Is there anyone that you look up to and model yourself on?

I model my business off of the works of many others. Frank Kern, John Reese, Jermaine Griggs, Andy Jenkins & Michael Cheney all have business models and ways of working which I've been attempting to replicate for well over a year. It'll be another 12 months before I get my life to where I envision it but I've got plans. Big plans.


What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Oh geez - Can I pick several quotes instead of one?

"You can have anything you want in life, if only you help enough people achieve what they want" - Good ol' Zig Ziglar is sure as heck right.

What is the best thing about being a successful young entrepreneur?

I love to hell what I do and by doing it, I know I'm setting my future up. I used to play video games which was albeit fun. After a while though, you'd really start to wonder what you were gaining by playing them. The answer? Nothing. I was wasting my time and it was that sense of realisation that led me where I am. I decided to do something worth while with my time and the satisfaction I get from that and logging in each day to my merchant accounts is fantastic.

What are your plans for the future?

I'd love to go into detail, but I can't legally disclose some of the projects I'm working on at the moment. In the past few months though - things have quite literally exploded. My Affiliate Marketing  project however, is by far the biggest thing I've done yet.

Perception is everything.


Further Links about David:

BBC.co.uk

ProBlogger.net