5 Years In: What Wealthy Affiliate Really Taught Me

5 Years In: What Wealthy Affiliate Really Taught Me

When I first joined WA, we were in the middle of COVID. I was working full-time, but not earning nearly enough to support my growing family. I think I found WA through a blog, but I’d actually come across the platform way back in 2007.

I’ve had the dream of making money online since around 2004. I explored a few network marketing ventures early on, and through that journey discovered affiliate marketing. But I didn’t really know how to launch a website from scratch — not until I joined WA.

🧱 My First WA Project

My first project was to help rebuild a website for an orphanage. It was a real-world need and a massive learning curve for me. I worked on the site for about 3 months and eventually launched it — it actually did really well.

Around the same time, I launched https://growmybitcoin.co.za as my personal project. I experimented with a few other sites too — one in health, one in another niche — but most didn’t go far or were never finished.

There were times I struggled to maintain the WA membership fees. Thankfully, the orphanage paid me annually, which helped keep me connected to the platform.

Later on, a new leader took over the orphanage — someone with strong tech skills and hosting experience — and he took the site forward from there. He saved them money and improved the infrastructure, so I stepped back, knowing I’d helped lay a solid foundation.

💼 Going All In

In 2022, I registered my own company and decided to go all in. I left a job I’d been working at for 6 years with a software and communications firm and focused fully on building online.

That season taught me a lot.

While the business had early wins, I quickly ran into challenges I couldn’t control — especially South Africa’s loadshedding crisis. There were days without power, unstable internet, and complete unpredictability — which made working in the crypto space especially difficult.

In this industry, you need to move fast, stay connected, and keep your systems running — and I just couldn’t keep pace with the environment I was in.

By the end of 2022, I had burned through my startup capital, and by 2023, the business wasn't bringing in sustainable income anymore. It was a hard pill to swallow — but it also pushed me toward something deeper, more stable, and more future-focused.

🌍 A Major Life Shift

After the unrest in South Africa in 2021, we relocated from Durban to Cape Town, and eventually — in 2023 — we made the move to Ireland, starting almost from scratch.

During that whole time, I tried to keep up with my WA membership fees and freelance wherever I could. Eventually I connected with a client who needed help building websites — and I was able to build two solid projects that are still under development today.

🔄 Why I Came Back to WA

Now I’ve come full circle.

I’ve returned to WA because I want to master affiliate marketing properly — and this time, actually follow the training through to the end.

The platform has evolved. The tools are sharper. And the opportunity to build affiliate-based income that runs while I sleep? That’s still the goal — only now I understand it takes systems, skill, and commitment.

My vision hasn't changed:

I want to set up systems that earn while I sleep.
To me, that’s the smart way to work.
Not easy… but simple. And worth it.

So I'm rebuilding, re-learning, and pushing forward with fresh purpose, but:

This time, I’m all in — with a bigger vision and deeper purpose.

📚 What Wealthy Affiliate Has Taught Me (So Far):

• How to build and launch real websites from scratch — even with no design background
• The value of systems over hustle — automate where you can, but show up consistently
• That affiliate marketing isn’t a shortcut, it’s a skillset (and a powerful one)
• To stop chasing every new idea — and build one thing with focus and care
• That a strong community matters more than algorithms
• How to blend my passions (crypto, tech, freedom) into something that can serve others
• That failure doesn’t mean the end — it just means I’m still in the game
• And most importantly… that you really can rebuild from scratch — even after losing almost everything

Thanks for reading. If you’re in the middle of your own rebuild or second chapter — just know, you’re not alone.

Let’s grow.
– JT