The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

Scaling Affiliate Marketing To Exit And Make Bank

SerialDabbler

New Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
200%
Jul 15, 2019
4
8
Hey fellas.

My very first post here.

I read TMF a while ago and just started listening to it on Audible again this week to get out of a funk.

I had a question that relates to the affiliate marketing business model.

In the book, MJ says that affiliate marketing isn't a good move because of the control aspect and you not having full control over what you're promoting, getting kicked out of the affiliate program etc.

But I've been in the online game for a while and although what he says is VERY true, if done right, you should be able to exit with a lump sum after a short-ish period of time.

Take this guy for example, he's well known in the SEO/affiliate marketing space (Matt Diggity):

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clvJJKThyN8


In the video, he shows a process of buying a website that needs work (design, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, CRO) growing it over a couple of years and then flipping it for a lump sum.

Now of course it's not easy, it takes a TON of work.

But, it's possible and many people are doing it.

My main question is, what is the difference between doing this and creating a "real" business with a product you own that you would sell/exit?

The reason I ask is because the website, brand and content are essentially the product.

If you get shut down by Amazon Associates or any other affiliate program, it's going to suck, but you can sign up for multiple other affiliate programs, use ads, build your own list and pivot to shoulder niches on the same site.

Maybe the revenue won't be the same initially, but you can work on getting it back.

Or you could take the same asset you have (a website that gets organic traffic and has a brand) and start selling your own products on there.

There are tons of brokers that have websites being sold for ridiculous amounts of money right now.

The lowest I've seen a site sell for in recent months was 23x, but I'm seeing 30x and even up to 50x, which is just bonkers.

If you take Matt's example in the video, he bought the site that made $2k in the first month and then by month 12 it was making $20k. In the current market, he can sell that for $800-$1m. Not bad for 1 year's work.

So here's my mini-plan:

1) Use brokers like Investors Club, Empire Flippers and Motion Invest to find a site that needs work.
2) Buy a site that's making $200-$500 per month for $6-$10k.
3) Follow the advice in the video above for a minimum of 1 year, 2-3 max.
4) Invest in content, links and even paid traffic if it makes sense.
5) Build the revenue up and re-sell with the same or a different broker for a lump sum

Of course, there are risks:

- Affiliate program bans you (Mentioned already, but not the end of the world if it happens if you have decent traffic)
- Google slaps you, your traffic dips or even tanks (biggest risk if you're just focused on SEO)
- Your new content doesn't rank (might be a bigger problem you didn't take into account before buying)
- Your new backlinks don't help your money keywords rank any higher (money wasted)
- Not as much money in the market as you thought, you hit a ceiling

So that's it really.

I'd be really interested to know your thoughts.

I've been thinking about this for several months now and have gone back and forth in my mind whether it's a slowlane or fastlane model. I'm guessing most people would say slowlane though :)

Thanks!
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
445%
Jul 23, 2007
38,076
169,488
Utah
1) Use brokers like Investors Club, Empire Flippers and Motion Invest to find a site that needs work.
2) Buy a site that's making $200-$500 per month for $6-$10k.
3) Follow the advice in the video above for a minimum of 1 year, 2-3 max.
4) Invest in content, links and even paid traffic if it makes sense.
5) Build the revenue up and re-sell with the same or a different broker for a lump sum

Yes, it today's modern "house flipping" method translated to digital assets. Not really affiliate marketing, but affiliate marketing expertise can lend a big hand in ramping up revenues and exit valuations.

There's some threads here an acquisition entrepreneurship as several folks are doing it. To be honest, it's a pretty good racket right now since there seems to be a demand for online properties. You will buy high, but sell higher.
 

SerialDabbler

New Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
200%
Jul 15, 2019
4
8
Well, if it has the MJ stamp of approval, then I must proceed!

I didn't see any good threads on flipping, I'll dig a little deeper. Thanks.
 

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
445%
Jul 23, 2007
38,076
169,488
Utah
Here's one, however I think he manages vs sells.

 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

MTF

Never give up
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
455%
May 1, 2011
7,560
34,430
In the book, MJ says that affiliate marketing isn't a good move because of the control aspect and you not having full control over what you're promoting, getting kicked out of the affiliate program etc.

IMO the commandment of control is the least important or at least the one that, when approached intelligently, isn't that big of a risk.

For example, there are many big names that have made their millions pretty much only recommending hosting services.

Also, nobody is saying you can only promote one or two offers. You'll diversify, just like you aren't going to sell to only one client for the same reason.

My main question is, what is the difference between doing this and creating a "real" business with a product you own that you would sell/exit?

Both are real businesses. You're simply choosing a different business model. In some aspects affiliate marketing can be IMO better as instead of spending time creating new products you can simply scale through selling more products of other people. Definitely makes sense if you're a shitty product creator but a great marketer.
 

SerialDabbler

New Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
200%
Jul 15, 2019
4
8
Thanks MTF.

That's what made sense to me about control too.

Definitely makes sense if you're a shitty product creator but a great marketer.

I wouldn't consider myself a great marketer, but good and still learning. But I've never been good at creating products, so that's one of the reasons affiliate marketing has appealed to me for so long.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

The WolfPreneur

Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
122%
Mar 26, 2022
18
22
India
Hey fellas.

My very first post here.

I read TMF a while ago and just started listening to it on Audible again this week to get out of a funk.

I had a question that relates to the affiliate marketing business model.

In the book, MJ says that affiliate marketing isn't a good move because of the control aspect and you not having full control over what you're promoting, getting kicked out of the affiliate program etc.

But I've been in the online game for a while and although what he says is VERY true, if done right, you should be able to exit with a lump sum after a short-ish period of time.

Take this guy for example, he's well known in the SEO/affiliate marketing space (Matt Diggity):

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clvJJKThyN8


In the video, he shows a process of buying a website that needs work (design, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, CRO) growing it over a couple of years and then flipping it for a lump sum.

Now of course it's not easy, it takes a TON of work.

But, it's possible and many people are doing it.

My main question is, what is the difference between doing this and creating a "real" business with a product you own that you would sell/exit?

The reason I ask is because the website, brand and content are essentially the product.

If you get shut down by Amazon Associates or any other affiliate program, it's going to suck, but you can sign up for multiple other affiliate programs, use ads, build your own list and pivot to shoulder niches on the same site.

Maybe the revenue won't be the same initially, but you can work on getting it back.

Or you could take the same asset you have (a website that gets organic traffic and has a brand) and start selling your own products on there.

There are tons of brokers that have websites being sold for ridiculous amounts of money right now.

The lowest I've seen a site sell for in recent months was 23x, but I'm seeing 30x and even up to 50x, which is just bonkers.

If you take Matt's example in the video, he bought the site that made $2k in the first month and then by month 12 it was making $20k. In the current market, he can sell that for $800-$1m. Not bad for 1 year's work.

So here's my mini-plan:

1) Use brokers like Investors Club, Empire Flippers and Motion Invest to find a site that needs work.
2) Buy a site that's making $200-$500 per month for $6-$10k.
3) Follow the advice in the video above for a minimum of 1 year, 2-3 max.
4) Invest in content, links and even paid traffic if it makes sense.
5) Build the revenue up and re-sell with the same or a different broker for a lump sum

Of course, there are risks:

- Affiliate program bans you (Mentioned already, but not the end of the world if it happens if you have decent traffic)
- Google slaps you, your traffic dips or even tanks (biggest risk if you're just focused on SEO)
- Your new content doesn't rank (might be a bigger problem you didn't take into account before buying)
- Your new backlinks don't help your money keywords rank any higher (money wasted)
- Not as much money in the market as you thought, you hit a ceiling

So that's it really.

I'd be really interested to know your thoughts.

I've been thinking about this for several months now and have gone back and forth in my mind whether it's a slowlane or fastlane model. I'm guessing most people would say slowlane though :)

Thanks!
Hey fellas.

My very first post here.

I read TMF a while ago and just started listening to it on Audible again this week to get out of a funk.

I had a question that relates to the affiliate marketing business model.

In the book, MJ says that affiliate marketing isn't a good move because of the control aspect and you not having full control over what you're promoting, getting kicked out of the affiliate program etc.

But I've been in the online game for a while and although what he says is VERY true, if done right, you should be able to exit with a lump sum after a short-ish period of time.

Take this guy for example, he's well known in the SEO/affiliate marketing space (Matt Diggity):

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clvJJKThyN8


In the video, he shows a process of buying a website that needs work (design, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, CRO) growing it over a couple of years and then flipping it for a lump sum.

Now of course it's not easy, it takes a TON of work.

But, it's possible and many people are doing it.

My main question is, what is the difference between doing this and creating a "real" business with a product you own that you would sell/exit?

The reason I ask is because the website, brand and content are essentially the product.

If you get shut down by Amazon Associates or any other affiliate program, it's going to suck, but you can sign up for multiple other affiliate programs, use ads, build your own list and pivot to shoulder niches on the same site.

Maybe the revenue won't be the same initially, but you can work on getting it back.

Or you could take the same asset you have (a website that gets organic traffic and has a brand) and start selling your own products on there.

There are tons of brokers that have websites being sold for ridiculous amounts of money right now.

The lowest I've seen a site sell for in recent months was 23x, but I'm seeing 30x and even up to 50x, which is just bonkers.

If you take Matt's example in the video, he bought the site that made $2k in the first month and then by month 12 it was making $20k. In the current market, he can sell that for $800-$1m. Not bad for 1 year's work.

So here's my mini-plan:

1) Use brokers like Investors Club, Empire Flippers and Motion Invest to find a site that needs work.
2) Buy a site that's making $200-$500 per month for $6-$10k.
3) Follow the advice in the video above for a minimum of 1 year, 2-3 max.
4) Invest in content, links and even paid traffic if it makes sense.
5) Build the revenue up and re-sell with the same or a different broker for a lump sum

Of course, there are risks:

- Affiliate program bans you (Mentioned already, but not the end of the world if it happens if you have decent traffic)
- Google slaps you, your traffic dips or even tanks (biggest risk if you're just focused on SEO)
- Your new content doesn't rank (might be a bigger problem you didn't take into account before buying)
- Your new backlinks don't help your money keywords rank any higher (money wasted)
- Not as much money in the market as you thought, you hit a ceiling

So that's it really.

I'd be really interested to know your thoughts.

I've been thinking about this for several months now and have gone back and forth in my mind whether it's a slowlane or fastlane model. I'm guessing most people would say slowlane though :)

Thanks!
Best way is to build your own email list and send email to it through own server. Sign up on multiple affiliate programs. If you do something illegal, then you can only get kicked out of all at once.
 

Jbrow327

Contributor
X MODERATED X
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
28%
Dec 22, 2022
80
22
IMO the commandment of control is the least important or at least the one that, when approached intelligently, isn't that big of a risk.

For example, there are many big names that have made their millions pretty much only recommending hosting services.

Also, nobody is saying you can only promote one or two offers. You'll diversify, just like you aren't going to sell to only one client for the same reason.



Both are real businesses. You're simply choosing a different business model. In some aspects affiliate marketing can be IMO better as instead of spending time creating new products you can simply scale through selling more products of other people. Definitely makes sense if you're a shitty product creator but a great marketer.
I know this is a year later, but what do you mean by "made their millions recommending hosting services"? How do you make money recommending hosting services?
 

Jeix

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
191%
Oct 1, 2018
116
222
29
Milan, Italy
I know this is a year later, but what do you mean by "made their millions recommending hosting services"? How do you make money recommending hosting services?
I think he meant through affiliate marketing.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

srodrigo

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
129%
Sep 11, 2018
792
1,024
Hey fellas.

My very first post here.

I read TMF a while ago and just started listening to it on Audible again this week to get out of a funk.

I had a question that relates to the affiliate marketing business model.

In the book, MJ says that affiliate marketing isn't a good move because of the control aspect and you not having full control over what you're promoting, getting kicked out of the affiliate program etc.

But I've been in the online game for a while and although what he says is VERY true, if done right, you should be able to exit with a lump sum after a short-ish period of time.

Take this guy for example, he's well known in the SEO/affiliate marketing space (Matt Diggity):

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clvJJKThyN8


In the video, he shows a process of buying a website that needs work (design, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, CRO) growing it over a couple of years and then flipping it for a lump sum.

Now of course it's not easy, it takes a TON of work.

But, it's possible and many people are doing it.

My main question is, what is the difference between doing this and creating a "real" business with a product you own that you would sell/exit?

The reason I ask is because the website, brand and content are essentially the product.

If you get shut down by Amazon Associates or any other affiliate program, it's going to suck, but you can sign up for multiple other affiliate programs, use ads, build your own list and pivot to shoulder niches on the same site.

Maybe the revenue won't be the same initially, but you can work on getting it back.

Or you could take the same asset you have (a website that gets organic traffic and has a brand) and start selling your own products on there.

There are tons of brokers that have websites being sold for ridiculous amounts of money right now.

The lowest I've seen a site sell for in recent months was 23x, but I'm seeing 30x and even up to 50x, which is just bonkers.

If you take Matt's example in the video, he bought the site that made $2k in the first month and then by month 12 it was making $20k. In the current market, he can sell that for $800-$1m. Not bad for 1 year's work.

So here's my mini-plan:

1) Use brokers like Investors Club, Empire Flippers and Motion Invest to find a site that needs work.
2) Buy a site that's making $200-$500 per month for $6-$10k.
3) Follow the advice in the video above for a minimum of 1 year, 2-3 max.
4) Invest in content, links and even paid traffic if it makes sense.
5) Build the revenue up and re-sell with the same or a different broker for a lump sum

Of course, there are risks:

- Affiliate program bans you (Mentioned already, but not the end of the world if it happens if you have decent traffic)
- Google slaps you, your traffic dips or even tanks (biggest risk if you're just focused on SEO)
- Your new content doesn't rank (might be a bigger problem you didn't take into account before buying)
- Your new backlinks don't help your money keywords rank any higher (money wasted)
- Not as much money in the market as you thought, you hit a ceiling

So that's it really.

I'd be really interested to know your thoughts.

I've been thinking about this for several months now and have gone back and forth in my mind whether it's a slowlane or fastlane model. I'm guessing most people would say slowlane though :)

Thanks!
Are you still around? How is this going?
 

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

Latest Posts

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top