Well, let's start with who's on the other side of this email.
I'm Bob. I'm 78. I spent 40-plus years as a computer programmer and project manager, starting in the Air Force.
These days I work from a basement office that's cold in the winter and not very neat. But I know where everything is.
I first tried affiliate marketing about 30 years ago. It was my "hotel hobby," something to fill the evenings when I traveled for work.
I've been doing it seriously for about the last two years.
I was a shiny object chaser
If you look up "shiny object chaser," you'll probably find my picture.
Here's how it went, over and over:
I'd find something new
I'd sign up and promote it
If it didn't make money in a couple of weeks, I'd move on to the next thing
I didn't stick with anything long enough to find out if it could work.
And I had a belief that made it worse. I figured, why in the world would anybody not want this?
Turns out, people don't necessarily want it. I proved that more times than I'd like to admit.
What I've actually earned
I promised myself this newsletter would be honest, so here are my real numbers:
OLSP: almost $4,000. My biggest success. It's a platform that teaches you how to build an email list and promote digital products for a commission.
MAP (Master Affiliate Profits): about $700. It's another platform, with training, tools and some higher-priced products to promote.
A handful of others: $50 to $100 each.
That took a little over a year. And I was sporadic about it, to put it kindly.
👉 That's not a promise of what you'll make. It's just what happened to me.
Part of the problem was social media. I was never a big social media person, because I didn't know what to say. AI has made that a lot easier. More on that in future lessons.
Some of it worked. A lot of it didn't. The difference between the two is what this newsletter is about.
What finally changed
Newsletters.
Writing to the same people every week forced me to do the one thing I'd never done: stay put.
Not chase. Not jump. Just show up again next week.
That's when things started to make sense.
What you'll get here
One honest lesson a week. Every Sunday morning.
Some weeks it'll be something that worked. Some weeks, something that didn't. Some weeks, a mistake you can skip entirely because I already made it for you.
A few promises:
I only recommend what I use myself. Two things I use every day: GotBackup, which quietly backs up my computer in the background, and Wispr Flow, which lets me talk instead of type. It's made me a lot more productive. (I'm an affiliate for both, so if you sign up through my link, I earn a commission.)
If I earn a commission on something, I'll tell you. Every time, just like I did right there.
No hype. No income promises. No 10 options when one will do.
Where to start
If you haven't already, take the free profile audit. It takes about 3 minutes and shows you exactly what's costing you clicks on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube.
Next up: The Honest Setup, which covers what you actually need to get started and what you can skip.
One quick question
Hit reply and tell me where you are right now. One word is enough:
Curious. Started. Or stuck.
There's no wrong answer, and you won't bother me. I read every reply.
See you Sunday.
— Bob