Today, many people want to pack up their jobs and be their own bosses.
The idea of working for yourself-who's a better boss?--attracts many.
The internet is a new world of possibilities for making money online.
However, when reality sets in, most people are stopped from going forward in a home business due to lack of funds and fear of risk.
Starting even a small business takes a fair amount of money.
A storefront is needed, inventory to sell, and employees and maintenance are all daunting costs.
It is possible to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars before the doors to the business open to the public! Starting a business is risky, as well.
Many factors determine profits, and not all of those factors are in the owner's control.
This is why nearly 90% of all small businesses fail in the first year.
To continue in the business, an ongoing investment of time and money is needed, and sometimes, profit doesn't come for years.
Most people could not sustain that level of commitment, nor should they.
Affiliate marketing is a different business model.
It involves an affiliate acting as lead generator or salesperson for a merchant or company.
This is terrific for the product developer or company, who only pays for producing salesmen.
Generally, there are no costs and no risk to the affiliate.
Rewards are in keeping with effort.
Running an affiliate marketing business has its challenges as well.
The work is difficult at first, and persistence is key to seeing the rewards.
It is advisable to research products, the market size, and also to evaluate one's familiarity with the market.
Thousands of affiliate programs dot the internet, with a wide variation in compensation and tools that offer help.
In addition, choosing a niche that is familiar gives the affiliate a foundation upon which to build the website, domain name, and marketing plan.
The marketing plan might be the most important factor, following the value of the product, for the affiliate to find success.
The internet is a huge pool of interesting websites and in order to raise a hand and be found, many marketing strategies may have to be employed.
The avenues of article marketing, pay-per-click, list-building, lens building and blogging may all have to be done on a consistent basis before success is achieved.
There is no perfect program, nor is there a perfectly designed site to sell it.
The good news is that if the product answers a pressing need, and the affiliate understands persistence, the affiliate will make money.