One of the biggest mistakes that anyone can make when joining Wealthy Affiliate is to believe that their membership will lead them down the road to instant riches. If you think that, you’re setting yourself up for failure.  That’s not to say you won’t be successful at IM (Internet Marketing), you can be (and there are lots of members who are) but there aren’t any quick fixes and there aren’t any shortcuts.
It is inevitable as you get to grips with setting up your first website that you will make mistakes -everyone does. It may be an old cliché, but it’s also a truism to say that mistakes are all part of the learning process.
 However, there are some mistakes that you should try and avoid if only to ease the stress and frustration on yourself.
These examples of mistakes to avoid and are  all drawn from comments I’ve observed in the forums and in the Live Chat.

1.    Expecting Wealthy Affiliate to be ‘perfect’ in every respect: 

Nothing is ‘perfect’ and while the training and resources are second to none, things go wrong with servers, tools, communication etc on occasions.  It happens – don’t waste the time getting het up about it.

2.    Expecting Kyle and Carson to answer all questions in the Forums or in the Live Chat :

They can’t work 24/7 and there are other bright and creative people with expertise that they’re willing to share.

3.    Getting angry if you don’t get a quick answer in the forums:

There are many reasons why you may not get a quick answer eg:

• Asking too many questions in single post
• Question isn’t clear
• Members are busy 
• No one with the specific expertise currently around
• Different time zones ...so someone is sleeping when you want answers

Don’t waste your energy on being angry.   Use that energy on something else until someone comes back to you.

4.    Not asking a question because you think it’s stupid:

  If you’re stuck – ask the question.  No one will poke fun at you.

5.    Not answering a question because you think you haven’t been a member long enough or you don’t think you’re an ‘expert’:

Anyone is free to answer a question and express their opinion from day 1.

6.    Feeling cheated when you don’t make your first $50,000 in the first 30 days:

There are no guarantees in IM and you need to think long term to build a sustainable business rather than expecting instant success.

7.    Wasting time comparing yourself to other members:

comparisons are pointless.  You generally don’t know the circumstances of other members, what their background is, what prior experience they have and what their commitments are. Just try and do the best you can in the context of which you’re operating.

8.    Not planning:

This is one of the biggest mistakes that members make and then they get angry and frustrated when they’re not getting the success they expect. You have to have a flexible plan with goals you can work towards.

9.    Taking on too much:

Most people these days have multiple commitments and that can make juggling their time difficult.  So don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can run 15 websites, hold down a job, look after children or parents, have time with your partner, keep healthy and have a wonderful social life!  Something will give.  Challenge yourself, stretch yourself, but be realistic about your commitments.

10.    Expecting other people to do the work for you: 

As much as members are great about helping each other out there are some people who take it to extremes  and expect other people to do the work for them.  I was asked to provide some training for a member on on article writing and while I was doing the training could I provide 50 articles for their site (free of charge).  Now I will help people if I can but in this case I told them I thought it was unlikely they could afford my writing fees.


These are just some of the ‘mistakes’ that new (and some more experienced members ) make when in WA.   Wealthy Affiliate is a great community to be a part of – just don’t expect it to be perfect.