Business

The Future is Freedom: Why breaking free of the past is crucial to your next leap in business

Published

4 years ago

March 23, 2022

Running a business is, by definition, demanding. Dealing with investors, employees and the general public whilst trying to build a solid reputation. Most of the time, we are able to rationalise our negative experiences, but occasionally, some comments can bring us down.

One of the most important qualities is to develop a positive mindset, focusing on what’s going well. To live like this consistently and avoid getting bogged down, there are several proven strategies we can employ.

Don’t take it to heart

Firstly, we must recognise when we are reacting emotionally, rather than logically. This can be evidenced in thoughts such as: ‘Why did this bad thing happen to me?’, ‘I never hurt anyone’, or, ‘What that person said is so unfair .’

In business, we can’t afford to take everything personally. We don’t always know what’s motivating people to react negatively.

As difficult as it is, we must accept that business is tough. Not everyone will play fairly; some will even break the rules intentionally. As much as we’d like to focus on our financial objectives, future plans and goals, often we end up managing our emotions, dealing with inter-relational issues and navigating difficulties.

This is a scenario that the Mikkelsen twins have grappled with, on several occasions. Rasmus Mikkelsen and Christian Mikkelsen, Co-Founders of Publishing Life, run an online education business that teaches regular everyday people how to replace their 9-5 job by creating passive income with self-publishing.

Commenting on the personal challenges that can emerge occasionally, Rasmus says: “Sometimes, we’ll get messages where people don’t agree with our opinion or don’t like our easy-going nature. I used to get offended by their criticism and felt like I was doing something wrong. Now I’ve learnt that you can’t make everybody happy. The bigger you get, the more often you’ll see this. But the truth is, for every 1 person that is unhappy, I’ve made 10 other people happy. So I focus on that instead.”

Christian adds: “We always look forward and focus on our goals instead; things like this just don’t get us down. We’ve developed a new identity in the last few years— a more emotionally mature version of our younger selves, especially as the business has grown and we’ve taken on additional business responsibilities. Now we are both happily married, and focused on achieving our business goals to provide for our families.”

Reframe the events

As an entrepreneur, when confrontation arises, whether it’s a disagreement with an employee or a bad review in the press, it’s vital to be able to defuse the situation and de-escalate a potential flash point. One way of doing this is to reframe your thoughts and feelings. Begin to look at events from a fresh perspective so that they no longer evoke the same negative response.

For example, instead of focusing on how angry a comment made you feel, you can try to imagine what motivated the behavior. The key is compassion. How upset must the person have been at that moment? What events must have been going on in someone’s life to make them so angry or combative?

By changing the narrative, and viewing events from a different angle, your emotions can start to change. Not only will you recover faster from drama, experiencing less cognitive drain, but you’ll also be able to turn your attention to more pressing matters like your business success.

Rasmus comments: “Not everyone is going to react positively to everything you do. That’s just life. The trick is not to fight fire with fire: you have to empathize with others and try to understand what might be going on inside them. Why are they acting this way? Are they being driven by hurt? Is this coming from a ‘positive place’.”

Use negative events as a springboard into your future

It’s a common misconception that our business lives would be better if we didn’t have problems and setbacks. The opposite is actually true. You need a little bit of resistance and a little bit of difficulty to energize you, focus your efforts and make you more resilient.

Think of the analogy of rubbing your hands with sandpaper. If you rub too hard, you cause your hands to bleed. However, if you rub it just a little bit every day, you will soon develop tough, impenetrable calluses.

The Mikkelsen’s have certainly learned from their experiences over the last few years and have been able to turn that resistance and difficulty into a growing business. For them, there is no ‘secret’ to success; it is the ability to stick with something long enough to reap the rewards.

Christian adds, “If only people would do the hard work, and not just give up when things get tough. The perfect example is our business. We focused on one important thing for years, rather than dabbling for a few months and then trying something else. You see new trends all the time and instead of jumping on the bandwagon, we knew the future was in digital publishing. It’s not a “sexy” opportunity like crypto, but it’s an emerging market that’s here to stay and is growing each and every year.

Focus on life’s essentials

He continues, “Adversity has a knack of stripping away what is unnecessary, unhelpful or untrue. When you’re faced with problems, you rethink your values. What do I believe in? What do I want to achieve?”

It seems inevitable that every seasoned businessperson will go through the fires of adversity: a process that burns off the dross of uncertainty and indecision and reveals a clarity of purpose. Some call it your ‘life’s mission’ or ‘calling’. In a business setting, this is invaluable. Knowing what you’re good at and how you can add value is the key to reaching your highest business potential.

Business

Ethical Affiliate marketing : Defining the Conflict

Published

2 days ago

December 1, 2025

Matthew Wiles

Affiliate marketing in the online casino industry walks a fine line between commercial interest and editorial integrity. Affiliates earn commissions when players register or deposit through affiliate links, yet these same affiliates often publish reviews claiming to guide users toward the best and safest operators. This dual role creates a potential conflict of interest: can a reviewer remain truly objective while being financially rewarded for player conversions?

This ethical tension is not hypothetical, it defines the entire casino review system. Readers expect independent recommendations, while advertisers aim for visibility and sign-ups. The challenge, therefore, lies in ensuring that commercial necessity never compromises editorial honesty. Without clear ethical structures, the trust between affiliate and reader quickly collapses, breaking the foundation of any long-lasting brand in the iGaming space.

The Ethical Solution: Editorial Firewalls

Responsible affiliates have developed a structural response to this dilemma known as the “editorial firewall.” This principle strictly separates commercial operations (such as partner negotiations and commission management) from editorial teams responsible for content, ratings, and recommendations. By preventing advertisers or commercial staff from influencing content, affiliates safeguard the objectivity of their reviews.

Antti Virtanen, Editor in Chief of Kasinohai, explains this responsibility clearly:
“My primary responsibility is to maintain the editorial firewall. If an advertiser’s payment can influence a casino’s star rating, we have failed our readers, and that short-term gain will instantly destroy the decade of trust we have built.”

The editorial firewall functions much like journalistic separation between newsroom and advertising department. Editors work with established criteria: licensing, game variety, payment methods, and player protection measures. Without any interference from commercial targets. When this discipline is followed, affiliates can confidently assure readers that ratings reflect evidence-based quality, not marketing budgets.

Maintaining such independence often comes with short-term sacrifices: rejecting lucrative offers from less trustworthy operators or declining to modify reviews to appease advertisers. Yet, for ethical affiliates, these sacrifices strengthen the brand’s reputation and guarantee the long-term viability of their business model.

Prioritizing Safety and Trust

True ethical affiliation starts with a single non-negotiable principle: only promote casinos that are safe, licensed, and compliant with responsible gambling regulations. Trust begins at selection. Every casino under review should pass a rigorous safety audit, covering valid gaming licenses, secure payment processing, transparent bonus terms, and the presence of responsible gambling tools such as deposit limits and self-exclusion options.

Antti Virtanen underlines this commitment:
“The ethical commitment begins at the gate: our first and most important filter is licensing and player safety. Any operator that fails our rigorous background checks on responsible gaming tools, fair terms, or payment security will never be promoted, regardless of their commercial offering.”

By excluding unsafe or unlicensed platforms, affiliates act as front-line gatekeepers, shielding players from potential fraud or exploitative practices. Ethical affiliates must also stay proactive, regularly updating their databases and removing any operators that lose licenses, alter fair terms, or develop unresolved consumer complaints. This proactive maintenance shows readers that the site’s focus is not only on visibility but on genuine player well-being.

Ethics in affiliate marketing also extend to how bonuses and offers are presented. Affiliates must reject misleading promotions that hide behind fine print or impose unrealistic wagering requirements. Fair representation of bonus terms not only protects players but also differentiates responsible affiliates from competitors who prioritize click volume over credibility.

Transparent Disclosure

Transparency is a cornerstone of ethical affiliate marketing. Readers deserve to understand how affiliate links work and how they affect the content they see. A clear, accessible disclosure explains that the affiliate may receive compensation when users register or deposit through referral links. However, this relationship should never impact the user’s cost, terms, or overall experience on the casino site.

The purpose of transparency is twofold: it builds trust with readers and aligns with regulatory expectations for advertising disclosures. A good disclosure statement is not hidden in small print; it’s presented as part of the site’s editorial ethic. It assures visitors that commercial partnerships never influence ratings, reviews, or recommendations.

In practice, this can appear as a brief statement at the start or end of a review, linking to a detailed explanation of the site’s business model. Clear communication empowers readers to make informed decisions and it alleviates the underlying skepticism that often surrounds online casino reviews.

Transparency also extends to responsible gambling communication. Affiliates should remind readers that gambling involves risk and provide visible links to national helplines, self-exclusion tools, and player protection resources. When ethical values are embedded not only in compliance checklists but also in editorial tone, the brand earns genuine user respect.

Long-Term Value

The ultimate goal of ethical affiliate marketing is sustainability building a relationship of long-term trust that outlasts the allure of short-term profits. A single misleading recommendation might boost conversions temporarily, but the resulting loss of credibility can permanently damage a brand.

Antti Virtanen captures this philosophy:
“In the end, ethical affiliate marketing is not a high-volume business; it’s a high-trust business. Our long-term success isn’t measured by the conversion rate of a click, but by the number of players who return to us because we saved them from a poor or unsafe experience.”

This perspective reframes success away from mere performance metrics toward qualitative measures: user satisfaction, returning readership, and brand reliability. Ethical affiliates understand that authority and trust cannot be purchased—they are earned through consistent transparency, careful editorial standards, and user-focused decision-making.

Long-term value also aligns with broader industry goals of promoting responsible gambling and sustainable player engagement. Affiliates that champion these principles contribute positively to the reputation of the iGaming industry as a whole.

Ethical affiliate marketing is not a static policy it is an ongoing commitment to transparency, responsibility, and respect for the audience’s trust. Establishing strict editorial firewalls, prioritizing player safety, and maintaining open disclosure practices form the blueprint for sustainable success. In an environment driven by competition and revenue potential, ethics are not a hindrance but the very strategy that distinguishes credible affiliates from the rest.