The Crazy Beginnings of Wealthy Affiliate. How We Got Our Start!

125
2.4M followers

Wealthy Affiliate...started from a seed and grew into what it is today.

When we set out to provide the "best" internet/affiliate marketing training platform back in 2005, I think we were a bit naive as to what we were, and we certainly didn't know what the rate at which we would evolve and how that would happen.

We offered a very slimmed down service from what you see today. It was keyword list website where we would offer new keywords each and every week. We charged MORE for that very service (inflation adjusted) than we charge today...though we have invested millions into our platform year over and of course we are far from just a "keyword list" site.

We now provide everything that someone would need to create, grow and manage very successful businesses online...under one roof. But that happened because of you, your feedback, and your demands over the years.

Your business will look very much the same. Starts as something small, and seemingly innocuous...and then grows to something substantial with time! What does your start within the online world look like?

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Recent Comments

126

I know where I was in 2005 joining a rescue mission in NYC. It's been a wonderful journey to transition from helping people on the frontline to helping people globally through the internet.

It's all about letting other people know once you are able to pass it on. I'm glad that you two became partners and created something for others to know what online websites are all about.

Most people ignore you once you subscribe to their platform. It's a new world here in WA. I hope to finish my website to share WA with others. It's empowering people for the future and I'm grateful to be part of this family.

Yeah, we have always led with our core ethics…and that is helping people and paying it forward at every opportunity that we can. This is fine through actual personal help, but also through technology, education and community.

We are grateful to have amazing people like you as part of the family here at WA Georgie, and thanks for sharing your journey!

Hi Kyle,

You're welcome and thank you for your response. Since you're here I read another one of your posts about the discount Black Friday price and I am wondering how much do I pay for the upgrade in the amount of $499 and then when is the billing cycle.

Also, when it is available to purchase. Thank you for all you do.

Georgie

That is awesome my life hasnt been the best i swear i am the most unluckiest person in the world my life has been not so great at all ive hit rock bottom and now ive been so depressed i can hardly get out of bed each day so i seen your ad and just decided its time for me to have a good ending to such a horrible life that finally its my turn for some luck so im hoping with all tge loss and pain and depression i can finally get my happy ending im starting out with nothing i hope this is it for me i hope i can finally have the life i deserve i spent my whole life on others not caring about my self and now i need to so here is hoping this is it for me i really hope so.

Yeah, we can't control "luck" in our lives, and to be completely honest we all have very difficult moments in our lives. Some use these moments to accelerate our success, some choose to let them take us in the other direction. In my weakest moments I have been the most motivated to succeed, and in my best moments I have actually in hindsight, been the most complacent.

You can control your journey, you can't control chance or luck. Focus on what you are in control of and work towards a defined goal and you can achieve anything that you set your mind to Christina. We are here in your corner, and you can lean on us if you ever need any help, mentorship or support alone the way!

Hi Kyle,, That is a fun story and very humble beginnings for you and Carson. That is awesome what you did to create a platform that has grown into a unique business.

My start is this, When I started the first time I had made one mistake after another. I did follow the training but I didn't understand a lot of the different aspect of this business.

I have made a little bit of money but it wasn't anything enough to build a business on. So the bottom line is I gave up. The funny thing is I was a published author of two children's books and I love to write. But I was discouraged with the way things were going the first time around.

I had started my third book to the series and then I had stopped. Life interrupted me so I have put it on the back burner as the saying goes. I had lost my passion my burning desire to write.

A few months ago I wanted to get back into my writing again. I thought about blogging because I wasn't ready to finished the third book yet. I did some research about blogging platform and WA came to mind. So I looked it up and here I am once again.

I know and understand what I need to do now. My website is up and running I just have to write the content. I am in the middle of level 2 lesson 7 or 8. I haven't finished it yet because I am jugging many things right now.

We were in an automobile accident in January of this year. And now we have many more medical issues from that accident that we are adding to our other medical issues. We have been going back and for the doctors so much I have literally lost count.

We have been dealing with a lot of things all at once so when I decided to come back to WA I wanted to start off on the right foot. And I kind of of did because I have the burning passion back that all I want to do is write. That was important to me. I am still not ready to finish the third book but I am getting there.

I am just glad to be back in WA because I didn't know how much I missed doing this and now I have come up with a better niche or at least I think so. So I am blogging just about everyday I just have to get to writing content for my site and finishing up level 2 lessons.

I will get there in time and thanks to WA I will get there a little faster then I thought I would. Thank you Kyle and Carson you have an awesome business here and also thank you for passing on what you learned doing affiliate marketing to us. This is an awesome platform no other platform can compare to it. You both have one of kind business/platform with WA.

Best wishes and much continue success for you both.

Mary

Well it has been quite the journey for you and this is definitely going to be part of your story as you move forward. Everyone has their story, and this is yours and you should embrace everything that has happened and use that as motivation to move forward and to succeed.

You are highly capable, and you are a brilliant writer as well...apply these two things together and you are going to have a bright future ahead of you.

Wishing you success moving forward Mary, we appreciate you and it is wonderful to have such amazing folks like yourself as part of the family here at WA!

Hi Kyle, Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful words. I appreciate that so much. I am going to use this as my humble beginnings. And I will embrace this because you are so right about that Kyle. I will put the two together and go from there.

I also think of you and Carson very highly because you two have taking this platform to new highs and it is only going to get better along the way.

I want to thank you and Carson for starting this platform because there is nothing out there that even comes close to WA. And for what we get with the Premium and Premium Plus packages, you would have to pay extra costs to even get half of what we get here.

You and Carson have done so much to make it as easy as possible for anyone to start and online business in affiliate business.

I am so thankful to be here a part of a wonderful family. I have reconnected with some old friends and I have made new friends and I am going to continue to do what I can to pay it forward for someone else.

Mary

So very impressive what you have achieved. I hope, since this will be my third career, that I can learn and eventually profit from your experiences. I am not afraid of hard work as my past shows, but I intend to give this my all to become successful for me and my partner in life. If any of you ever visit in Key West, I would love to meet you.

You can learn this stuff, it is no different than learning anything else that you have learned over the years. In fact, there is a great deal of simplicity to building an online business and we really do keep it simple here (as this tends to lead to more success than trying to be "complex" with your business).

Also, you have lots of help and mentorship here every step of the way Peter, so if you ever need anything at all let us know. Love Key West by the way, was there several years back with my wife. Awesome spot!

Loving these videos, Kyle!
They will also help us do more effective promotions for WA.

My start in WA came about while searching for coffee on the internet on Sunday evening.
I found Nathaniell's website and . . . as they say . . . the rest is history.

My online journey started before that actually with Copywriting.

I am enjoying how our platform is evolving and cherish our WA community.

Thank you!
Cassi

And you can share any one of these videos that you want, and earn affiliate credit using the "Share" button within them. So glad you found Nathaniell on that Sunday evening, or we would have never gotten to meet you are see you flourish within the online world.

We appreciate you Cassi and it is wonderful to see your success!

That feeling is mutual, Kyle.

I learn, test and refine my skills in WA, get feedback from our community and then roll out to the world.
For example, the WA video training I am doing now.

Everything we need is right here.

Looking forward to continuing to grow together.

Cassi

That is awesome, and I do look forward to the future ahead...there is always lots to look forward to!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and dedication to help others! I've only been in this, seriously, for a few months now. I'm in the incubating stage... So I haven't made any money yet, but I'm not going to quit this time. You never get anywhere unless you take chances in life. I'm finally taking a chance on me!

Yeah, completely fine. Money is the byproduct of building a business and the activities that take place in the incubation stage and before you reach the money component.

By the time the money comes (and when it does with consistency), you have a sustainable business in place!

Good morning Kyle,

Thanking for sharing your very interesting story, it's always good to hear how people started in business! It's something that always intrigues me, in a good way, whether it's online or offline!

It's amazing how different Wealthy Affiliate was in the early days. I have been here almost eight years and although there have been some large changes, it's kind of the same principle.

When you both started Wealthy Affiliate, did you both keep your existing affiliate marketing businesses going or did Wealthy Affiliate just take over?

It's great how you have continually been improving the platform over the years, I know that there is a huge amount more attached to this than meets the eye! It must be very rewarding when you see so many success stories on a regular basis.

Is there anyone on Wealthy Affiliate who has been with you for the whole journey?

Have a great day and thank you for sharing your story.

Roy

Designs change, the people will change slightly, the technology will change, but the principles of business will never change. If you can help people in any industry, help them solve problems, offer them products/services that improve their life and outlook, you can create success with any niche.

So no matter how much the platform here changes, that will continue to be the focus. There are still folks here here since 2006 I believe, and definitely lots since 2010+. Your 8 year tenure is getting up there and it has been wonderful getting to know you over the years!

Good morning Kyle,

I like your wise words in the first paragraph, Kyle; helping others has to be a good thing to do. Even with my offline business, which is grinding out tree stumps, customers are normally very grateful as I have solved their problem! They will often pay me more than what I have asked as it's like a weight off their shoulders! They also find the radio remote machine fascinating!

That's good that there are still a few folks here since 2006 and lots since 2010+. It's been great being here, Kyle, I have met some great people and it's also great to be able to network with like-minded people. I remember when I first started researching Internet marketing, I had absolutely no one to communicate with; that was hard! Wealthy Affiliate has changed that big time!

Although I only probably watch 10 or 15% of the training, I'm really grateful for the training classes. Sometimes, when I haven't carried out a task lately, I have to go back to the training videos to remind myself what to do! Also, I really appreciate the Premium Plus training; there are some great classes on some interesting subjects. It's good to see some of the successful members of Wealthy Affiliate delivering the training.

Thank you for a great platform; it's also been great getting to know your good self!

Roy

That is the thing, when you can solve problems people are willing to pay for your help, and even pay more for your help than you even asked (as you mentioned). This "help" approach applies to every business, and people will always have problems, and they will always be seeking solutions for these problems. That is a field day for online business owners!

Thanks you for being a strong figure within the family here at WA, it's been great getting to know you as well!

Hello Kyle,

I like and appreciate your very wise words regarding business owners, Kyle! It has to be a good thing when we can help people!

I remember a friend of mine being made redundant after many years from his farm manager job. He was an excellent man and very good at his job. He went on to train as a pest controller for the local council. I asked him if he enjoyed his job, and he said that it was absolutely fantastic as everyone was so delighted to see him! In other words, he had come to sort out their problem!!

Thank you, Kyle; it's great to be part of the community where I can help others and people can help me with questions. It's great to be with like-minded people and on a solid, trustworthy platform!

When I first started researching Internet marketing in 2004, it was difficult as I was working totally blind and had no one trustworthy to ask any questions. Coming from an agricultural type background, I never expected to have any interest in the Internet! However, when I had my first broadband connection, I could immediately see the power of Internet and its potential. I just didn't know how to go about it!

The above paragraph makes me appreciate Wealthy Affiliate even more, as I know what it was like to be out there on my own. I also like to have a platform that I can firmly and honestly promote, knowing that the process works. Which is something that I want to actively do more!

Wishing you all the best.

Roy

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