Start An Affiliate Marketing Business - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Start An Affiliate Marketing Business

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

Are you looking for a side hustle to pay you a passive income? Affiliate marketing is one of those side hustles that will pay you well over the long term. It is a way to earn money online by promoting other companies' products and services. You will be paid a commission for each sale you make as an affiliate marketer.

To get started, learn how to find the right product and brand to partner with. For example, you may prefer becoming an affiliate marketer for an eCommerce store, partnering with a manufacturer, and marketing their products for a commission.

Starting an affiliate marketing business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell affiliate marketing services, or selling affiliate marketing services online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Want to learn more? You can check out our full guide on how to start an affiliate marketing business ➜

Key Stats

market size
$17B
revenue (monthly)
$298K
starting costs
$11.7K
gross margin
90%
time to build
210 days
growth
SEO
business model
Subscriptions
time investment
Side project

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Office Space Expenses

$0

$7,000

Employee & Freelancer Expenses

$150

$250

Website Costs

$223

$7,015

Business Formation Fees

$600

$4,700

Software Expenses

$162

$2,894

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$0

$1,400

Total Startup Costs

$1,135

$23,259

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

LS Trading and Marketing

instagram.com/tradingwithlins

7

BowTied Opossum

newsletter.bowtiedopossum.com

572

ShareASale

shareasale.com

1,927

Rakuten Advertising

rakutenadvertising.com

10,329

WebRevenue

webrevenue.io

17,841

Making Sense of Cents

makingsenseofcents.com

37,734

Side Hustle Nation

sidehustlenation.com

41,018

Casino Guru

casino.guru

48,412

eBiz Facts

ebizfacts.com

54,097

Lasso

getlasso.co

57,739

OneHourProfessor.com

onehourprofessor.com

64,298

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Little startup costs required

The cost to start a affiliate marketing business costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 23,259.

Rewarding work

Starting a affiliate marketing business can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

No overhead costs

To get your affiliate marketing business started, there are no costs associated with overhead, storage, packaging, etc. This will save you a lot of time and money!

Cons Description

Crowded Space

Competition is high when it comes to your affiliate marketing business, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.

Longer Sales Process

A affiliate marketing business can be a big time and money investment for your customer, so it's important you plan and predict a longer conversion funnel and stay in communication with potential customers.

Work can be inconsistent

As a affiliate marketing business, the amount of work assigned to you and schedule tends to be more inconsistent, which may make your income less stable. It's important to set boundaries and budget accordingly based on the amount of work you plan to have.

Lack of benefits

With a affiliate marketing business, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.

Isolation

Often times, as a affiliate marketing business, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members.

Taxes

As a affiliate marketing business, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.