At its core, affiliate marketing is a performance-based model. Think of it as talent-based marketing where you get rewarded for every customer you bring in through your own marketing efforts. This popular is typically built around four key players: the merchant, the network, the publisher, and the customer.
Once you have the keys to your home, a new set of financial questions often emerges. You might be thinking about refinancing your mortgage to lower your payments, pay for a big home improvement project, or consolidate other debts. Maybe you’re wondering when the right time to refinance is, how to pay your mortgage off faster, or even what to do if you’re facing the possibility of foreclosure.
This is where the rubber meets the road. It’s that moment you have to switch from passively marketing your new venture to actively selling. For many people just starting a side hustle, the word “selling” can feel a little pushy or uncomfortable. It’s easy to find other things to do, like organizing your files or catching up on admin tasks.
How you feel about your work and its place in your life is a huge deal. Before you can build a freelance career that’s both rewarding and exciting, you have to do the internal work of understanding yourself—your boundaries, your needs, and your motivations. When you first , this self-reflection is the most critical step.
I recently got an email from a coaching client who was hitting a wall. He’d been putting in the work on his new venture for three months but wasn't seeing the progress he’d hoped for. Frustration was setting in, and he started to wonder if the whole thing was a mistake. He asked the one question every person with a side hustle eventually asks: "When is it time to quit?"
One of my weekly rituals perfectly captures my entire business model: opening a huge stack of mail. In one envelope, I’ll find an offer letter I sent out, returned with an angry message scrawled across it. Someone will tell me my $1,100 offer is an insult for a property they claim is worth $35,000. I just laugh and toss it in the trash. That’s just part of the process.
One of the best parts of my week happens when I go live on Facebook to open my mail. I’m usually joined by a mix of coaching students and people curious about land investing. There’s a real excitement in turning on the camera and just diving into the day’s mail, completely unscripted.
You’ve seen the ads. A guy in a breezy floral shirt sips a margarita by a sprawling mansion pool and tells you, “This could be your life.” The scene cuts to him leaning against a red Ferrari, a stunning woman on his arm. Then, he’s in a high-rise office with ocean views, clicks a single button on his laptop, and yawns, “Done for the day! Man, I’m tired.”
When you first start a side hustle, it’s easy to get caught up in the visuals—the logo, the website colors, the fonts. While those things matter, your brand is so much more than that. Think of it as your business’s identity. It’s the sweet spot where how you want the world to see you meets how the world sees you. Your job is to make sure those two perspectives align.