Written by Brook Schaaf

Should you have been in North America, I hope you had a fine eclipse day yesterday. We partook in a family camping and cabin trip on a large ranch with exotic animals and fellow entrepreneurs. There was a reenactment (mostly kids with decorated T-shirts, swords, and shields) of the Battle of the Eclipse and a lecture by an actual astrophysicist (and entrepreneur). And at the time of totality, total … cloud cover. 

Oddly enough, this got me thinking of FMTC’s recent book club selection, “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know” by bestselling author Adam Grant. I shall spare you a complete recital of my complaints, but suffice it to say, a better title might have been “Man Without Awareness Writes Book About Self-Awareness.” As I struggled through it, I cursed both Chrystal Roessler on our team for selecting it and myself for approving it, missing what was, in hindsight, obvious ironic foreshadowing. 

Interestingly enough, everyone else, including Chrystal, had similar views. No one rated it higher than 5 out of 10 and one person (not me) even gave it a 1. Yet I will say we still had a wonderful discussion, sharing various heretofore unknown stories and perspectives. Similarly, though our camping army met with defeat, we did so in good company and I wouldn’t have traded the long experience for the short one.

The final reconciliation, then, is forgiveness, a long-planned addendum to my gratitude post last Thanksgiving. In addition to regularly expressing appreciation in my journal, I also add items of forgiveness. The power move here, taught to me by my friend Olga, is to forgive yourself along with others and circumstances in general. For example, I forgive bad weather and myself for bad guesses and choices. 

So, Chrystal, if you should read this, know that I freely forgive you. I just hope that someday, somehow, you can also forgive yourself. 

The post Can Forgiveness Eclipse Offense? appeared first on FMTC.

[Drumroll] Here are the winners! 

First Place (tie), $500 each:

Created by Karen Garcia (and, who knows, maybe hubby Joel helped )

As an old-timer, this one has special resonance for me. I couldn’t tell you how many times someone has trotted out “affiliate marketing is dead” for attention … or how annoying this has always been.

Created by Dustin Howes

Truly an apt observation about our space.

Second Place, $350:

Also created by Dustin Howes

A lot of people complain about this nowadays. Funny to think of AI as a diabolical cat. 

Third Place (tie), $150 each:

Created by Matt Mustarde

Perhaps no one is better tuned in to the dangers of only working with one affiliate than a long-time veteran of link geo-targeting service Geniuslink.

Created by Nick Montrose

Be ye affiliate, agency, network, or merchant, this pain have ye felt.

We shall share honorable mentions in coming weeks and months — stay tuned.

The post Winning Memes appeared first on FMTC.

Hanukkah has come and gone, as have some shipping deadlines. Christmas is on Monday and we won’t send an email during the quiet week, so now is the right time for reflection as affiliate marketing says goodbye to 2023.

To me 2023 will be remembered as the breakout year for seller networks, in particular Levanta. A new trade association, the APMA, was launched in the UK. Affiliate seems to be growing as an important revenue stream, even if it’s not always acknowledged. Commerce content caught some flak, in spite of (or because of?) the space going full throttle — the Wall Street Journal’s Buy Side celebrated its first anniversary. Finally, Google announced new deal-finding tools on search and in Chrome, putting some people ill at ease, though I think it bodes well for the ever-changing e-commerce space.

For its part, FMTC thrived throughout the year, achieving substantial growth in subscribers and crossing numerous technical milestones. Black Friday went smoothly. This year to date, FMTC has added 4,708 merchants and processed 538,729 deals. We were also pleased to see our own Katie Jones elected to the PMA Board of Directors.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and other season’s greetings to you and yours from all of us.

Looking ahead to January, we’ll have a booth at Affiliate Summit West. Don’t miss my Monday-afternoon presentation, “How to Solve Every Problem You Have with Coupon Sites Except for One.”

The post See You in 2024 appeared first on FMTC.

How long have you worked at FMTC and what is your current role?

I started working at FMTC in October of 2018 and I am a Data Processor.

What do you like most about your job?

I love working from home; it’s such a blessing. I also love having such a great group of co-workers to get to work alongside every day.

What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

I love married life and spending time with my sweet husband, my family, and all of my nieces and nephews. I also love working to make our new home, that we bought last year, into our own.
It has been a lot of work (lol), but it’s so fun having a place that we get to call our own and I love that.

Where’s your favorite place in the world?

Our home.

What’s a fun fact about you many people may not know?

I am a coffee fanatic! Any time, anywhere, any place — count me in! 

What is your hometown?

I was born and raised in the small town of West Point, MS. I have lived here all my life and I love it!

The post FMTC Employee Spotlight: Tiffany Ferrell appeared first on FMTC.

How long have you worked at FMTC and what is your current role?

I have been with FMTC for about 4.5 years and I work as a Merchant Integrations Specialist. I work on getting merchants approved and active in our database for both FMTC and FreshReach.

What do you like most about your job?

I love how flexible this job is. I can make my own schedule and work around the needs of my family.

What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

I love spending time with my kids. They are at a really fun age right now (15 and 11) and keep me entertained. I like to go for walks, do puzzles, cook, and spend time with friends.

What’s a fun fact about you many people may not know?

I love to paint the interior of my house … one room at a time. I find it oddly satisfying and rewarding. Plus it makes it fresh and clean!

Where’s your favorite place in the world?

I absolutely love the beach on Coronado in San Diego. The beach is so amazing and it’s always the perfect temperature.

What are three words that best describe you?

Dedicated, caring, and hardworking.

What is one thing you can’t live without?

My down comforter! So cozy.

The post FMTC Employee Spotlight: Erin Jones appeared first on FMTC.