As I’ve said in my blog, Affiliate Marketing is probably the best, easiest and fastest way to get an internet business up and running. And, as I said, the best way to learn the business is to invest in a training course, preferably one that offers step-by-step instructions on what to do, how to do it (this one’s really important!), and when to do it. You can visit my website to see the one that I use myself.

But before you do that, there are a few things that you need to know about this business.

1) THIS IS A BUSINESS. You’ll need to approach it like one. That means, among other things, you need to take a few minutes to decide just what it is you want to accomplish, and how much work you’re willing to put in. Make some goals, plan your work, and work your plan. I know that you’ve seen offers claiming that you can make millions and work 15 minutes a week. Really?! If you’re trying to make an extra fifty bucks a week, maybe that’s all the effort you need. But if you’re trying to make real money, enough to, say, support a family in style, then I’m afraid you’re gonna have to actually work at this. That said, you won’t have to work 8 or 10 hours a day. But be prepared to give this a few hours (yes, hours, not minutes) a week.

2) This Is Not A Get-Rich-Quick Scheme. Just like anything else in life, anything worth having is worth waiting for and working towards. If you know someone who’s making big money as a lawyer, or doctor, or business owner, I promise you that their success did not come overnight. On the other hand, one of the absolute best things about Affiliate Marketing is that you don’t need 4 years of college plus 3 years of law school or 10 years of medical school and residency before things start to happen. The curve here is much, much shorter. You can see real results in months, not years. Just don’t expect to see success in days.

3) There Will Be Some Costs. If you select a training program, there are costs. If you want to make money on the internet, you’ll need a presence on the internet. That means you’ll need to register a domain (about $ 10 – $ 20 per year, per domain), host it (about $ 5 – $ 10 per month), and, depending on how your model is structured, maybe an autoresponder (about $ 20 per month). That said, the startup costs of an Internet Affiliate Marketing business (about $ 50) are WAY less than the startup cost for a traditional brick & mortar business. So if you’re balking at $ 50 to start a business that could, in less than a year, net you $ 3000 to $ 5000 per month (conservatively), consider that just the franchise fee for most fast-food chains is between $ 30,000 and $ 70,000! And that doesn’t include the building. Or the french-fry machine!

4) This Requires Discipline. To make money as an affiliate marketer, you have to take action, do the work, and keep doing the work. Even when it looks like it’ll never work. Keep at it. Besides, if it took you a whole year to start making $ 5000 a month, ask yourself, do you make $ 5000 a month at your day job? And if you do, how long did it take you to get to that point? I’ll bet it took longer than a few months!

So be disciplined, and be optimistic, and keep working on it. The money will come before you know it! Just keep in mind, every person making a living online today has, at one point asked himself, “What the heck is a blog?!” But, and this is what’s important, they found out, and kept moving forward!