Interview: Kristoffer Trujillo

Kris is an extremely talented Internet Marketer with a large reach in the Affiliate Marketing industry. He started a couple years back with nothing more than a desire to quite his day job (like most people). He made his first $700 in one week online with free advertising sources and later went on to generate over $13,000 in profit his first full month into his online venture. Last October he launched MassPPVTraffic and sold the site 4 days later. This 25 year old Internet marketer truly is the pied piper of Internet Marketing. Just type in his name into the Google Wonder Wheel and you will see he is a true "Money Maker"

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 am originally from Portland Oregon but I am currently living in McKinney Texas. I'm 25 years old and married the the most beautiful woman every. My wife and I grew up together and only dated each other very briefly in High School. Right after school I left for a two year mission for my church (LDS). I saw Jazzmine (my wife) the 2nd day I was home and we have been un-seperatable since.

My online career began at a very young age when I watched my father try his hand at making money online… He was never quite successful at it… but that is how long it has been with me.

What accomplishments so far are you the most proud of?
I think anyone that is self employed with the current economy should be proud of that. I’m just glad I’m still in business and will continue to be in business for a long time.

When did you first realize the full potential in affiliate marketing? When did you first “hit the big time?”
I “hit the big time” when I began setting up domains and attracting thousands and thousands of visitors to my websites.

Na I’m just messing with you… What’s your definition of “the big time”?

I began making money from affiliate marketing from my first week online. $700 from answering questions on yahoo answers and directing people to clickbank products! That definitely made me catch the bug for making money online. I learned about the method from a free video I found online… I tried to find for you guys it but it has been taken down.

I've always known about the possibilities of making money online. I watched my dad make an attempt at it growing up so the idea of it has always been with me.

What have been your biggest failures and frustrations?
I don't really look at anything that I do online as a failure. If you set something up online you better be willing to see it through to the end. Too many times people finish a project and it doesn't make money for them right away and they declare it a failure. But if I set something up I will work it till I at least break even. Just remember… You should learn from everything you do online… Most people didn't pay to go to school for this affiliate marketing game we are playing, so I look at those projects that don't make money as learning experiences.

What is the single toughest problem you've had to face, and how did you get through it?
Honestly… The biggest challenge that I have faced and still face is one of time management. I wish I could tell you I am through it… But I'm not. I am what you call an addict. I am addicted to the Internet. I'm also addicted to the thrill of making money online. Because of this my personal life has suffered quite a bit. My wife unfortunately has been quite neglected because of my online business. But she is patient and I love her for it. Remember, if you are working online and have a family you need to make time for them. In 2010 I am setting myself up on a work schedule so that I can hopefully be more efficient and so that I can spend more time with my wife… You should do the same. Ask any marketer… It's a curse we face.

Is there anything that you don’t like to do, that you just hate working on?
I'm a terrible article writer and I absolutely hate doing the whole article marketing thing. Articles are one of the most difficult things for me to deal with. Good thing they have article writers out there…

What’s the best advice you could give to someone starting out in Internet marketing? Any pro tips you feel like disclosing?
Buy my ebook… HA just kidding. Here is the best advice I can give… IF YOU STICK WITH ONE OR TWO PROJECTS YOU WILL MAKE MONEY… IF YOU JUMP AROUND FROM PROJECT TO PROJECT AND HAVE 100 HALF FINISHED SITES YOU WILL MAKE NO MONEY… That's the number one reason why people fail online… Also… Everything you need to know to make money can be found for FREE online. You just have to look for the info. I promise it's there… And if you can't find the answer to your question just ask!

What is the future of marketing?
Have you ever seen the movie Hardwired? It's a terrible movie… But that's the future

If I knew the future of marketing I would be doing it right now… And then why would I tell everyone else? I would keep the secret to myself and let someone else spill those beans. Just remember… There is a SHIT load of money in emailing...

If it’s possible for you to share, are there any particular niches that you currently favor? Or that you aren’t necessarily in right now but that you would recommend?
Health, Wealth, and Relationships. The three mother niches that my good buddy Ruck from C2M taught me about. If you know just how much money I was making from debt relief you would go crazy. Stick to something in those three niches and you are bound to make money somewhere.

How has your education prepared you for your career?
Currently… it hasn’t. But I am going to school for business management. Although nothing beats real life experience.

What are your greatest strengths?
I like to think that my personality is pretty rockin. I can get along with just about anyone. And that’s a great thing. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the people that I know. I always tell people “It’s not about what you know, but who you know”.

What are your greatest weaknesses?
I have no weaknesses… Just things that I need to work on.

What is the best advice you’ve been given and try to apply to your life?
Take advantage of other people's strengths. Everyone is good for something it's just a matter of getting to know them so that you can learn what they are good for. Sounds kind of mean… But that is how I approach each new person I meet. Let them talk about themselves… They'll let you know what they are good at. When you can bring several people's strengths together and make money then you're in business. Find a business partner that you can work with. Someone who has the skills that you lack.

Do you have any role models or people that you look up to?
Honestly… I don't. Why lookup to someone else? The people that I know in this industry are awesome and the things they do online are incredible. But why would I want to be like them? I look up to no one but myself. I'm proud of all my accomplishments and I'm proud of where I'm going with my online career. Now… there are people that I admire online. Lot's of them in fact. But do I look at them as role models? No...

Who has impacted you most in your career, and how?
Ruck from Convert2Media. Everything I learned online I learned from him. I make money because of what he has taught me. He knows his stuff and he has a different way of looking outside of the box. I've known him for several years now and I like to think that some of his way of thinking has rubbed off on me. He is definitely the single most person that has influenced my online career.

Do you try to keep current with the latest Internet marketing news at all? What or who are your main sources?
Nope. It doesn't matter to me. But when there is something, I catch wind of it from reading other blogs…

What kinds of people do you have difficulties working with? Any good stories?
I really have a hard time working with people that don't listen to me. If you want to be a client of mine I would at least expect you to listen to my advice. Here's a good story for you… I had a client that I was teaching PPV advertising too. I gave him very specific instruction on his landing page and the targets for his advertising. He didn't do a single thing I said to do. Then he complained that he wasted close to $1000 with only 2 conversions. When I looked at his campaign he said "What you said didn't make sense to me so I just did it this way"… Pissed me off… If you ask for advice you should take it or at least adhere to it a little. But to go 100% against what is suggested is beyond belief.

What are some of your long-term goals? How much is enough? If money was no object, what would you be doing?
My only long term goal is to be able to financially support my family. Whether I make $10 a day or $10,000 a day… As long as I can have a roof over my head and food on the table I am happy. If you can't make $10 a day then I don't know what to tell you. I've even placed fliers on cars and made at least $10 a day. There is always something you can do to work for yourself. Just be creative and get to work. Laziness never makes you money… err… Not always at least.

What are your typical hours like? When do you just chill back? Do you have a usual day off?
I don't work on Sunday. And my hours are so erratic that I couldn't begin to tell you what they are. I work when I get up and I stop working when I eat and when I sleep… Other than that it's all business all day. As I stated earlier one of my goals for 2010 is to set a work schedule and stick too it.

How do you like to spend your free time? What does work-life balance mean to you?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… Free time? I haven't formed proper boundaries between work and personal life. This has been a big issue in my marriage and I hope to change that in 2010. You should too… Don't neglect your personal life for the money that is coming in now. I promise you… Money isn't everything in this world.

If you could go back to being 18, what different career choices would you make?
I wouldn't. I've learned something in every job that I have had that has lead me to where I am at today. I use everything I have learned in my careers in my own business.

If your Kindergarten teacher saw you now, what would surprise him/her about how you turned out?
Absolutely nothing. I was always advanced in school. So I think it would come to no surprise that I am successful in what I do now.

What would you like to change about yourself?
I would like to be more active. Instead of the typical nerdy computer, xbox360, movie thing I would like to get out of the house for something more exhausting. Another 2010 goal of mine is to be more active.

What is your greatest achievement outside of work? What are some of your unfulfilled dreams?
My greatest achievement outside of work is 0 debt. When I use a credit card it is paid off in full each month. I have no desire to take out credit when I can pay cash. Cash for a house, cash for a car, cash for entertainment…

I want travel around a bit. That would be my "unfulfilled" dream. It's kind of hard though when your married and your wife is stuck in school. But we'll get there. We want to spend a few months abroad.