Interview: Chris Guthrie

Chris Guthrie is a full time internet entrepreneur / blogger and affiliate. At his blog, he shares his successes and failures while teaching others how to make money on the internet. You should follow him on Twitter too.

Tell us a little background info about yourself. Where are you from? How old are you? How long have you been working in this industry?
I'm from Puyallup WA and currently live in Seattle WA. I'm 26 years old and have been in the industry for over 5 years.

What accomplishments so far are you the most proud of?
I used my success as a professional Halo player to launch a successful video game forum (I created a video to help launch the forum which you can see at thehalogod.com if you care to watch it). I didn't make much money from the forum but the lessons I learned helped guide me down the path of internet entrepreneurship.

How did you come to learn about this industry? Why did you choose this career? When did you first realize the full potential in affiliate marketing? When did you first “hit the big time?”
I met a webmaster back in 2003 who was making a few dollars a day from his video game website displaying ads. Of course this wasn't a lot of money, but the fact that he was making money talking about something he enjoyed as a hobby made me want to get started. I always knew a lot of money could be made from affiliate marketing, but for me I did it in a way that's different than most interviewees on this blog. I have had the most success selling products through Amazon's Associates program and late last year I made over $13,000 in a single month which was a new record for me. The next goal will be a six figure profit month and at that point I can call it "the big time."

What have been your biggest failures and frustrations?
I spent a few years trying to make money off of video game forums and other low profit niches that I didn't really know were low profit at the time, but on the flip side it's what got me to where I am now so it all worked out in the end.

What is the single toughest problem you've had to face, and how did you get through it?
I was fired from my job in October of 2009 for reasons unknown. So for the next few weeks after that I was stressed out about finding a job, but because I was already making more money from my websites than my day job I decided to just make the leap and go full time internet entrepreneur.

What niche has worked best for you?
I like selling anything that Amazon offers, which is basically everything. I know most people don't like the 24 hour cookie, but if you market correctly that can be a non issue.

Do you think anything particular in your past prepared you for this industry? Your education? Jobs you’ve held before?
I've always had the entrepreneurial bug. Back when Pokémon cards were all the rage I was selling packs of them on eBay for 3 - 4 times the cost I paid for them. I never played the card game or the video game but I knew people couldn't catch them all so I recognized there was some money to be made. I have a marketing degree from Western Washington University, but traditional education teaches you to conform to society - get good grades, get a degree, get a job, retire at age 65. So if anything I'd recommend against going to college if you're going to end up a self employed internet entrepreneur / affiliate because nothing you learn in school prepares you for it.

What motivates you?
I want to see how much money I can give away in my life time. I believe that if you earn millions of dollars during your life time and all you have to show for it is a bunch of expensive toys and a life lived full of excess than what have you done to help others less fortunate than yourself? Besides, at the very least you look like a douche to your friends that aren't rich.

What are some of your long-term goals? How much is enough? If money was no object, what would you be doing?
I'd like to earn my first million dollars before I'm 30. I have about 3 and a half years to do it and I feel confident that I can accomplish it. One billion dollars would be enough to get me to stop working. If money was no object I'd still be doing what I'm doing now except I'd be traveling a little more.

How do you like to spend your free time?
I enjoy playing video games - specifically first person shooters (i.e. Halo and Call of Duty). I love the competition and the feeling of winning even if it is on a virtual battle field. If anyone wants to challenge me in a game of Halo or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 I can say with complete confidence that I will destroy you. Beyond that I am a big Seattle Sounders FC fan and season ticket holder.