Originally posted by desslock
If something is selling, but I'm not interested in it - it's not my perview.
Words to live by. I run a site for which all of the revenue is generated through affiliates alone. It's a free site, I shoot no content, I purchase no content, I pay no models, I pay no employees... the only overhead involved is hosting and my own time and energy (which, granted is applied in substantial amounts to this site).

And it makes itself a fair amount of money every month. It could probably make a lot more were I to promote sites that are part of higher-payout programs. But... why? Only things and sites I like make it in to this websites sponsor portfolio. Things that I watch and look at and say "That's hot!". Not only is that essential to having the site keep the flavor its surfers seem to really enjoy and present what it presents in a genuine fashion, but it's also what keeps it fun. That's what keeps me enjoying working on it even when I'm up until 5am fiddling about with it or it begins to seem I can never take a break from it. If I saw this site as work? Goodness knows how much I'd resent it.

The site's been around for just over a year. It gets mass search engine traffic. Those that are sponsors on it can testify to its success in referring signups. And it makes bank. It's not a TGP. It's not a linklist. It's not a directory. It's what it is. (Everyone and their dog has a TGP out there and then wonders why they can't launch one and have it immediately make em rich. Start up something original and unique. The materialization of your own vision and idea rather than a subscription to other people's notions of what the only way to do things is.)

But more importantly... it's fun!!! And having a site with no significant financial overhead helps relieve a lot of pressure. Theoretically, the site's traffic could crawl to a trickle and it could refer a sale a week and still come out in the black. So that's a huge relief.

Whereas paysites I run, it's a nonstop race against overhead early on. The bar you gotta get over is that much higher. But I feel the paysites I run also have the potential, most definitely, to make way more than the free site. Way way way more. And so long as I have the will and resources to build them up, invest in them, and get them positioned to start earning money - even if it means a couple months of being in the red - then so be it. That's what business is about.