Performance marketing is an industry that anybody can succeed in regardless of background.
Christina Szekeres is a Hungarian born digital entrepreneur, consultant and global speaker who currently resides in Southern California. She comes across as both your next door friend and a fierce businesswoman. With more than 13 years of experience in Performance Marketing & outsmarting digital algorithms, she has become a highly sought after mastermind and inspiration for entrepreneurs to pursue careers in ad tech and digital marketing.
She is the brains and wits behind the powerful IMQueen brand (short for Internet Marketing Queen). She has spent her career challenging the rules of what it takes to be a successful online performance marketer. Her mission is to prepare hungry entrepreneurs to engineer their own success. This fuels her sense of purpose and is part of her larger vision. In her consulting, she teaches strategies, shortcuts and the secret paths to master Facebook ads and other digital advertising platforms.
She is frequently invited to be a keynote speaker for leading industry conferences worldwide. Her passion is traveling in style with her dog Ramen. They have visited 27 countries together, and counting!
Where did the idea for your company come from?
When I was 14 my dad got me an ebook written by a female affiliate marketer. I’m coming from a poor family so I was super driven to make money at a young age.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I start my day with lots of water and a cup of black coffee. Then I write my to-do list in my notebook and get to work. I like to finish my day in the gym with an 1-hour long workout then hitting the steam room and doing a 20-minute meditation while I have a face-mask on. Can anybody wish for more?
How do you bring ideas to life?
Ideas are great but nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. I have a solid team behind me to make my dreams come true.
What’s one trend that excites you?
More and more people are working from home these days. Pretty exciting how the world is shifting!
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I think it’s my persistence. I always reach my goal and don’t ever give up on anything I set my mind to.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t spend your money on so many expensive bags and shoes.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Bottled water sourced in Hawaii is the best!
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Have strategic calls with your team every week
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Networking in person. I ended up making 3x more money once I started traveling to attend conferences and meetups.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Partnering up with the wrong person. Life moved on and I made smarter connections after that experience.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
If you’re new to media buying with limited budget, I would definitely start out with an email submit affiliate offer that pays $1-2 per lead as you can collect more data with a smaller amount of money in a short period of time.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Buying presents for my family – nothing better than making your loved ones happy.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
Revealbot – makes media buying easy with automation rules
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“Ikigai – The Japanese Secret To A Long And Happy Life” – one of my favorite books on how to life a happy life.
What is your favorite quote?
“The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” Buddha
Key Learnings:
- Even if you are born to a poor family in a small country, you can succeed if you work hard
- Performance marketing is an industry that anybody can succeed in regardless of background
- Traveling and attending tradeshows and conferences is crucial to personal and business growth
Connect:
Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.