GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 26 - October 2013

Several U.S. states are either regulating online gambling or talking about doing so. We haven’t heard much from Ten- nessee, though. Any thoughts on what might be coming down the road for the Volunteer State in that regard? It took a huge fight in our state just to vote in the lottery. I truly hope that any legislative breakthroughs force states to have to “opt out” or be automatically included. If states have to “opt in,” I believe it will be quite a long time before we see Tennessee resi- dents at the online poker tables. What do your family and friends think of your work as an affiliate? My father is a minister. It took a good year before I told him what I was doing for a living. Most of my family knows my occupation, andmost are fine with it, and some have even tried to follow my footsteps into the industry. Only my closest friends know how I make my paychecks. Most people just know we have an office in town and we work with websites and Internet marketing. Do you gamble online? If so, what do you play? I used to play a lot of poker. Now, if I gamble online, it’s either craps, horse betting or sports during college foot- ball/NFL seasons. I know the odds, obvi- ously, and I know that poker is the only “money making” game, but to be honest, when I gamble online I’m looking to relax and enjoy, not grind out a couple big bets per hour. There is no stress playing some- thing like craps. You watch the dice roll and if you win, you smile, and if you lose . . . well, crap. Roll again. How long do you give yourself for an- swering e-mail? What e-mail tips can you offer? I work a typical Monday-Friday schedule, with a lot of flexibility tossed in, of course. Most e-mail gets answered same day or within 24 hours, except onweekends. My tip? Just start at the bottom of the inbox and resist the urge to read > mark as un- read > read the next > mark as unread, etc. The best way to plow through your e-mail is just to start with the oldest, and move up. Don’t “camp” your inbox. Once you have cleaned it out, leave it alone until the next day, unless you see something very impor- tant pop through. Otherwise you will spend your entire day e-mailing back and forth. How do you manage your “to-do” lists? Do you use any special software to help you out? I use a simple notepad document. I have one to-do list that has a number of projects listed that can be done over the next few weeks or even months. I have an- other notepad list of things “To Do ASAP.” I usually start my morning by jotting down the things that I 100 percent need to ac- complish this day, and then check them off as I finish them throughout the day. Once done, and if time permits, I work on the long-term list. How much time do you devote to SEO and/or social networking in order to drive more traffic to your sites? We have just started developing our Facebook presence. It’s very active there, compared to most affiliates’ Facebook pages, in my opinion, and is starting to pay off in terms of giving our business more of a “community” feel. My first site was successful in part because I was able to build a community around things like “building a poker bankroll from scratch” or “rakeback.” I’m trying to du- plicate that now on nodepositbonus.com The jury is still out, and I just really start- ed making a concerted effort this year, but I believe our Facebook community efforts will eventually drive a good bit of traffic to our site and e-mail list. What’s the most difficult thing about running your site? Trying not to get over- whelmed by the sheer number of things that need to be done, both short term and long term. The second most difficult thing is dealing with Google search fluctuations. (Hence the reason I am trying to build more traffic sources than organic search!) What’s the best thing about running your site? It’s hard to beat being your own boss and knowing that every dollar earned is adding to your yearly income, and not just padding the pockets of some fat cat at a corporate office somewhere. If someone were visiting you, what’s the one place you’d definitely take them to see? Nashville, downtown, music scene, etc. I live a half hour or so away, and it’s just amazing walking down Broad- way on the way to a concert or event at Bridgestone Arena and hearing the mu- sic and laughter coming from open door after open door of bars and restaurants as you pass. It’s one of the safest and friendliest cities you will come across. When you need to get as far away from work as possible, where do you go? I enjoy renting a cabin in Gatlinburg, Ten- nessee. There are cabins so deep in the woods that if you meet a car coming the opposite way on the narrow dirt or gravel road, one of you has to back up. In some of those places you are lucky to have cell phone service, much less Internet service. What’s your favorite vacation spot? I love road tripping. The destination does not matter, really. We have road tripped, as a family, to Niagara Falls, Canada, and to Disney World, Orlando, Florida. The des- tination is always fun, but I enjoy the trip even more. We actively look for oddball, off-the-beaten-path places to visit. I enjoy history and people, so road trips bring me into contact with a lot of both. What’s your all-time favorite movie? Bad Boys (with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence). Perfect combination of action and humor. If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be? My grandpa on my dad’s side: He was an entrepreneur. He died when I was pretty young, and I think we probably have a lot in common. Bill Frist: I wouldmake him sit on the floor and watch us eat, for his part in passing UIGEA. Jesus Christ, after doing a LOT of house cleaning: He would need to be there to help me not be more inhospi- table to Mr. Frist. My wife: She deserves a seat after providing moral support to our business for the last 10 years. My dad: Despite not agreeing with what I do, he is proud of our success, and still loves his kid. Besides, he wouldn’t want to miss a chance to sit at the table with Jesus, you know? If you were one of the last two people on the planet, who would you want the other person to be? Easy one here. My wife (she reads these things, you know . . .). What are three things that nobody knows about you? 1. I used to be in good shape and was a de- cent basketball player. 2. I ownmy seven-year-old in PlayStation 3 racing games and enjoy it. 3. I enjoy #2 because I know the time will come, all too soon, when I won’t be able to beat him in anything except wisdom and gray hair count. . . . 49 GPWA Affiliate Interview Series