I know this topic has probably been run ragged but I am sold on the program SBI "if" I actually do the purchase, or, decide to try it on my own. I have my niche and I have a list of 5 or 6 affiliate programs ready to go, even have the name (domain) ready to sign up for. I guess I would like to hear from some successful "affiliate marketers" that did it on their own, before I purchase SBI. I just want to be as sure as possible. I know SBI is good and that it works, no doubts in my mind. It's just a "nagging" thought that I can do this with SBI. I don't know that I can but I suppose I could just try and see. I admit the fear of wasting, precious time and money. I hope someone relates to this and can give me some input. Of course I also need to mention the thought of continuing to pay 299 per year (I think that is the total per website) and the feeling the website really isn't my own. Maybe I am being silly but all these things are going through my head Any thoughts, input, advice, feedback totally welcome denise
It all comes down to how much guidance you want/need. Doing it yourself means learning the hard way, my preference. There are lots of free guides and videos on how to create websites. Especially if you use a WordPress install on your own hosted domain. (not a blog on WordPress.com, the WordPress software/CMS on your domain) I don't know about SBI but many "guides" lock you into their hosting account for life. When you rent your own hosting space you can move the site to another host. You also have more freedom as to what you can post or promote on it. BUT, it does take more effort and learning than following a guide. Surveys on this forum indicate HostGator with a WordPress install to be the #1 choice. I have never used HostGator but do use WordPress CMS for most the websites I create. The annual expense is under $100/yr including the domain name registration. You can also get multiple domain hosting accounts for a little more. I run about 4 dozen sites on a $99/yr re-seller hosting account. The domain names run about $10/yr each. Call me cheap but it does the job nicely. Then again, I've had a lot of practice (ie: failures). And I'm never in a hurry to make a buck, too lazy. Time vs. money, that's what it comes down to. A good guide will save you lots of time.
The "sure as possible" aspect only relates to the decision-making component and has no crystal ball influence on the eventual outcome. Whichever way you choose to do it, on your own or piggy-back on SBI, you will be exposed to different challenges and advantages in the beginning, but the paths will eventually dovetail into one road... marketing. By the way, we have a dedicated SBI forum here and our own in-house SBI expert - happywife - who has the experience to offer very useful insight into your question. While it's important to consider and compare start-up costs and on-going expenses as they relate to your budget, it also helps to project different scenarios. At first glance $299 a year may seem steep, especially when you could probably get the same tools and guidance elsewhere for less. The trade off maybe time spent searching for the information on your own, figuring our what's accurate, what's not, and then trying to apply it, by trial and error. The by-product of that approach is experiential knowledge, the best kind, incidentally. If you look at the $299 not as a number but as a tiny percentage of what you could generate as a result of the running start the investment buys you, then the actual number becomes less significant. So, if putting out $299 now helps you to generate a $1,000 a month, six months from now, when you look back at this moment of you pondering which path to take, you'll smile and wonder to yourself what was all the fuss about. Hermas
I am struggling with this today, trying to do homework but yet thinking about the way I've been going so far. I suppose it is human, nature to want things yesterday. I am not a foolish person though and realize things worthwhile always take time. I am going to do some more reading on SBI today, during my breaks from school-work that is, and see if I can determine the benefits of having everything laid out for me to follow. I can find anything online, but what you said Hermas, about "time spent searching for the information on your own" is going through my head. I am just a better follower then I am a leader. Just like a cooking recipe, I love following them rather then being more of a gourmet type. Anyway, I just need to read more about what exactly SBI includes and will it lead me step-by-step. I'm going to go read some of Angies info now. Thanks so much for your input Hermas, Denise
Hi Denise, I've been out of the forums for a few months as I've had a major workload that I had to focus on, but now that I've popped my head back in today I got to wondering how you are doing on your website journey. I know we chatted a lot a couple of months ago and after some heavy thinking you decided to give going it alone a try. How are you doing? You had a lot on your plate, but you sounded quite determined. I hope you've made some real progress and are feeling like you're on a good path and making some headway. I'm sure we'd all love to hear an update from you when time permits. Blessings, Angie
Denise, I'm new to this forum, and by no means can I be considered a "successful affiliate".....not yet, anyway . I took the Profit Lance course, which had me beating my head against the wall for months. I struggled through it, though, and learned a lot. Then tragedy hit my family and kind of shut me down for a few years. When I decided to step back into the internet world, I opted for SBI. Perfect decision for me. I'm grateful to Profit Lance, because I kind of knew some deeper layers of what SBI was talking about, when I started. I love SBI and the total support that's given so unselfishly there. My site is nowhere close to being what I expect it to be, but I'm seeing a gradual increase in traffic, daily. When I get ready to monetize, I think I'm going to do fine. No matter what you choose to do, the bottom line is going to be how bad you want this to work for you. Great content, persistence and patience are great things to have. Only you can provide those. Best of luck to you! April
