I’m Maurice and welcome to SmartBlogProfits.com. The purpose of this blog is to provide crucial advice for anyone who is considering starting a blog, and for those who already have a blog and want to profit from it. But first, let me give you my brief journey to affiliate marketing. At age 19, before affiliate marketing existed, I started a mail order business called Rush Mail. I bought and sold merchandise through a company called SMC. Other marketing ventures included Amway, Excel Communications, and a host of others.

In 2002, I signed up for my first affiliate program with Cognigen Communications. After I joined, I was issued an affiliate ID with a very long URL. I had no idea what I was doing. I had no knowledge of domain forwarding nor masking at the time. I also didn’t own a website. Needless to say I didn’t make any money with this program. I found myself jumping from affiliate program to affiliate program ending with the same results, zero!

Later, I stumbled upon a company called VMC Satellite, now known as Wirefly. Wirefly is a major reseller for Dish Network Satellite service. I made and continue to make money with this company. When I joined, the commission was $50 per install. Now, it’s $120 per install. This affiliate program is still my favorite. The reason being, is that most people subscribe to some sort of cable or satellite service. I never have to convince anyone to buy the service. Not only do I make $120 per install, I also earn $10 per install from affiliates that I refer to Wirefly. Most of my sales come from offline marketing through flyers, mail campaigns, and classified ads.

On Febuary 14, 2006, I joined Clickbank, which is the Internet’s leading retailer of digital products. The commission rates are generally between 50-75 percent. When I signed up for Clickbank, I read over the affiliate material and searched the web for other resources to help me get started. My account set dormant for years. Then one day, my finances began taking a downward turn. My family expenses and the cost of living began to increase.

I already work full-time and had applied for part-time jobs. After applying for dozens of part-time jobs, I finally landed one. Well that was short lived. When the economy declined, so did my hours for my part-time job. What was even more depressing was that I was one of the Human Resource employees that made out the weekly schedule. My hours were cut to 4 hours a week. It was actually costing me to work part-time. I was already working for peanuts and now that my hours were cut. My part-time job became an expense. Needless to say, I resigned.

I was back at square one again and needed some more income. I was tired, but needed the money. I decided to give Clickbank another try. I went to YouTube and listened to others talk about their success. So I decided to give it another try. I was fired up, but faced another hurdle.

Clickbank does not process payments for newbies until you have reached five sales, and PayPal transactions does not count as one of the five. They do this to discourage new affiliates from buying through their own affiliate links. I searched and promoted different products. In 2010, I made my first Clickbank sale. I earned a whopping $38!

This amount stayed in my account until I met my threshold. It took me less than one month before I reached my five transaction threshold. I got my first check. The amount was $115 I believe, give or take $2. Clickbank also requires that you receive two checks before you can qualify for direct deposit. I met those requirements and now I get paid on Wednesdays for sales from the previous week.

I said all of that to say this. You can make money online. I’ve been doing it for years. This takes a lot of time, studying, and hard WORK! By no means am I a rich online guru. I still work full-time and I’m an affiliate marketer part-time. I am not about to tell you to quit your job if you are employed. If anybody tells you to quit your job and concentrate on an online business, they are blowing smoke up your rear end. I enjoy helping and encouraging others to start their online business. When I received my first Clickbank commission check, I knew how I was going to take control of my financial situation, and so can you.

UPDATE: Dish Network no longer participates in affiliate programs. It was fun while it lasted. 🙁