You’ll often hear that the easiest way to start making money online is affiliate marketing. Join an affiliate network, pick a few offers, set up a site, put up some banners, reviews, text links, get some traffic and make money!
Sounds simple. You don’t have to create an actual product – you can promote someone’s proven products. You don’t need complicated websites – a simple blog will do the job. You don’t have to deal with clients – there are none. Just make a sale and pocket the money.
I have been on both sides for quite a while since 2005 and it allowed me to see the pros and cons of both, being an affiliate and being a product developer, a vendor. So allow me to compare the two and put things into perspective.