If you’ve caught the Internet entrepreneur bug, you probably can’t wait to get started making money with your own website. Of course, you’re going to need a few things first – namely, products and effective sales copy to sell them.

But while you’re working on your products and sales copy, there is a way to start bringing money in the door almost immediately. I’m talking about becoming an affiliate marketer.

As an affiliate marketer, you make a commission by selling other people’s products via your website. And they make it easy for you by providing both the products and proven marketing copy (such as banner ads and sales letters).

Your affiliate business can be up and running in a flash – and it requires very little in the way of start-up costs. All you really need to pay for at the beginning is your website domain and a website hosting service. 

While working as an affiliate, you’ll hone marketing skills that you can use to make your “real” Internet business even better… if you decide to go ahead and launch it. Like many affiliates, you might make so much selling other people’s products that you never get around to creating and selling your own.

[Ed. Note: Affiliate marketing does have its own particular techniques - methods that can result in 7-figure or higher paydays. And there's no better way to learn them than in person, from Early to Rise's affiliate program manager, George Dahir, and Web marketing manager, Edwin Huertas. You can join George and Edwin this July in Denver for ETR's Super Affiliate Summit. Find out more here. 

Not yet an ETR Affiliate? Get the lowdown and find out if you qualify for the program here.] 

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Even in tough times, opportunities present themselves… if you look in the right places.

One of the best ways to build a recession-proof income? Become an affiliate marketer.

Affiliate marketing is the process of using your website to drive traffic to a merchant’s website… and receiving a commission for sales that are generated. It has quietly become a $6 billion industry and, according to Jupiter Research, is expected to grow another 13 percent year-over-year through 2012. Jupiter Research also states that online marketers’ spending estimates for 2008 were $2.1 billion on affiliate marketing fees, with U.S. online affiliate marketing spending expected to reach $3.3 billion in 2012.

One reason affiliate marketing has experienced such massive growth is that it is a win-win opportunity – for the merchant and the affiliate. The merchant pays affiliates for their advertising efforts only when sales are actually made. Affiliates become an extension of the merchant’s sales force and receive nice commission payouts by driving sales traffic to the merchant’s website.

Many affiliate marketers do this as their only source of income and make a very nice living.

So what’s stopping you? If you aren’t making the money you need to live the life you wish to live – or if you just want an additional source of income – affiliate marketing may be for you. Early to Rise’s Affiliate Program has had a large turnout since its launch back in February (with 900 affiliates thus far) and the sales continue to roll in.

[Ed. Note: George Dahir is ETR's Affiliate Marketing Manager.
If you are ready to make money as an affiliate, join Early to Rise's Affiliate Program today by clicking here. You'll get $20 just for signing up!]