WOW I Joined Wealthy Affiliate 12 Years Ago

HAPPY WANNIVERSARY TO ME!!!

It is now August 2025 and I joined Wealthy Affiliate 12 Years ago as a Free Starter Member in August 2013. Though I knew right away that I would upgrade to Premium, I needed to wait until September for my financial situation at that time to play out. Once I did upgrade, there was NO TURNING BACK!

A LOT HAS CHANGED IN 12 YEARS

When I joined WA in 2013 I had just retired from 25 years in the Video Game Industry, developing games for Nintendo, Sega, Online and iOS Apps. This explains why I have a vivid imagination and why I have no shortage of niche ideas, which I often freely share here with the community.

In 2001, twelve years before retiring from video game development, I knew that my future income would be coming from sales on the internet. I started selling on eBay and within a few years I became a Top Rated eBay Power Seller. As time went by eBay started increasing their Seller Fees, I needed to find another solution.

I wanted to build my own e-commerce website and use drop shipping with the wholesalers I was already purchasing products from. However, I had no idea how to build a website and I knew I didn't want to pay and rely on someone else to build it for me. This is when I found Wealthy Affiliate and affiliate marketing.

A Banner Image From Long Ago

Kyle's explanation on the simplicity of building a website at WA and what was a Niche, hit me like a bunch of light bulbs flashing in my face. I grasped the concept immediately and knew that my original desire to build an e-commerce website for drop shipping was not the way for me any longer.

DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE I MADE

Though I am doing much better financially now, it has been a journey filled with UPS and many DOWNS. I was so pumped at the simplicity of building a website and having so many niche ideas I wanted to pursue, I made the mistake of starting more than one niche website before the first one gained traffic.

This is a trap that I see so many newbies here at WA making. My first two websites saw very little traffic and it wasn't until my third website, promoting WA, that I became focused on growing it. Eventually I was able to earn about $900.00 a month in commissions. This is something I intend to revive soon.

To succeed in affiliate marketing takes hard work, focused effort and lots of patience. Do not think for one second that building two niche websites at the same time will make you more money quicker. That rarely happens if at all. It's like building a skyscraper. You start with a foundation and build upward, shortchanging nothing.

What WA looked like in 2013

Success comes from running the race slow and steady, making modifications as you go. Just look at how Wealthy Affiliate is constantly changing and upgrading their platform. This latest update is probably the 4th or 5th update I've seen since joining in 2013. Evolution is necessary for lasting success.

You are going to face tough challenges and you are going to make mistakes, but winners never quit! Just remember, Jeff Bezos the CEO of Amazon, started out just like all of us. He had a dream of making money on the internet, starting his company in a garage when the internet was young. Now look at his success. He didn't quit.

I've often said that success is not a point in time but a journey of ups and downs that leads to a better future. Don't look for financial success to come quickly. It will take lots of effort to get it going and to keep it going. There is no better place to be than right here at WA for success in affiliate marketing done right!

HERE'S TO ANOTHER 12 YEARS!