Confessions of a business-person

My name is Mellicia Marx and I'm an affiliate. 

I recently spent the morning with a good friend of mine. When I stepped into her car, a glorious dark green Kate Spade handbag was sitting on her seat. I commented on how incredible it was and hours later she informed me that I had suggested it on the Poplin blog. Well, that explains why I liked it so much.

I get so excited to share new and exciting finds with you, Dear Reader. I quickly move to the next thing and often have little insight into whether or not these finds are working for you. In contrast to the face to face interaction I have with clients, blog posts don't result in the immediate feedback that a dressing room exchange provides. Although, writing these posts is one of my favorite activities, nonetheless.

In the end there are three ways I can tell if a piece resonated with a reader:

1. A comment on Facebook, the blog, twitter or a direct email to me.

Clients also send texts, which is wonderful.

2. An in-person comment.

These are the best! Like seeing my friend and discovering she purchased the bag based on my recommendation, I often run into people who let me know they've done the same.

3. Commission also known as affiliate income.

Often, retailers provide a commission for purchases made as a result of clicking on the Poplin site to buy something from a retailer. If the customer, (that's you!) purchases an item in the same session as clicking on it from the Poplin site, Poplin may receive a commission. That means if you click from the Poplin site to the retailer, then decide to hold off and the next time you simply go directly to the retailer's site, there will not be a commission for Poplin.

Why am I telling you all of this? 

First, transparency is a beautiful thing. Second, I discovered from my friend with the Kate Spade bag, that she had no idea Poplin may receive a commission if she purchased the bag in the same session. Therefore, when she was ready to buy it, she just went directly to Saturday.com. 

Here's the thing- Saturday.com actually doesn't provide a commission. I just really like the items I find there, so I post them. In this example, Poplin didn't miss out on any income. I don't discriminate between retailers that provide affiliate income and those who do not. 

Although, based on my experience with my friend, it seemed like a good time to share with you, Dear Reader, the structure of affiliates in the hopes that you'll opt to click through from the Poplin site to support the blog. My clients know this structure and many have asked for an easier way to buy things from retailers and support Poplin. So, I've also created a recommended retailers page. 

Use it. Enjoy it. Hopefully, it helps you find some new and exciting retailers. 

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