Affiliate Marketing-And Working At Home

Affiliate Marketing-And Working At Home
By Vickie J. Scanlon

I received an email that asked - "Is affiliate marketing a fast way to make money"? My answer: No, but you can make money. And, Affiliate Marketing can be one way in which an individual can work from their home. But my advice, start your online business, while you are still working. Because it will take time. With that being said, what are the pros and cons of an affiliate business?


Pros

First, with an online affiliate business you do not have to worry about commuting back and forth from work. You are-there, so to speak. However, it is a business and you and you alone have to do the work. Does that mean long hours? More than likely. Does it mean some disappointments? Certainly.

Second, no dress code. You can sit in everyday clothes and write your articles, or update your site, and no one will care. And, it saves you money.

Third, you can start an online business with a small outlay of money.
At the least, starting an affiliate business, requires a website or blog-or both. You will need to pay for a website-to have the element of professionalism. No sense having ads that belong to the webhost, right. Or you can try your hand at a blog, if your passion is more content based, and you can get a blog for free. So what is the bare minimum of cost?

Your costs could include:
1) Cost for website
2) Internet connection
3) FTP software to upload your copy
4) Your labor-which you will give passionately


Cons to a Home/affiliate business

First, anything that is home-based will require you to deal with one important issue - isolation. There will be no co-workers to speak to, or to parlay questions. It's just you. So prepare for some outings to keep you fresh and less isolated.

Second, just because you are working on the Internet does not mean they you are on easy street, or you will get fast money. Not true. You are starting a business, it's just online. So, no you will not get quick money. Why? The Internet is wide open to all. Thus, the search engines are not going to instantly put you up at the top, or Index you instantly. It takes time and patience-and you can pay your dues while the search engines get to know you and the legitimacy of your business.

Third, if you have no knowledge of the workings of the Internet, this will slow your progress to success. Just keep putting one step in front of the other -and move forward.


Naive Thoughts

I thought I should include the naive thoughts about an Internet business. Because it is always wise to get past the disappointment to move forward. It goes like this. Yes, you will actually
have to work to see some success with your business. Do not believe those that say, I only work 3 hours a day and made $10,000 this month. This leads me to this naive thought....

You will find instant success with great sums of money flowing into your coffers. Wow, I wish that was true. Unless of course, you are lucky. But if you have little or not knowledge about the ways of the Internet, it will slow your progress. There is a lot to learn, and let me tell you, it is not at all like a brick and mortar business.

Learning the ways of the Internet takes time. Yes, you'll have successes, and that will move you forward. But, also there will be some mistakes. And sometimes these mistakes may take several months to recover from. But then again, these mistakes, as I have found out, usually do not happen again, especially if it costs you money.

To conclude, there are pros and cons to anything you do. But the bottom line is this-do you have the will and determination to continue in the face of disappointment? If you said yes. Then begin your business online-and work toward success.