Start Here – My Journey Into Affiliate Marketing
Welcome to GSM Entrepreneur.
If you're new to affiliate marketing or trying to figure out how to build an online income, you're in the right place.
But before you start looking around, I want to tell you something about me.
I'm not an internet millionaire. I'm not a guru. And I'm not going to tell you that you can make thousands of dollars overnight.
I'm still learning too.
And that's one of the reasons I started this blog.
How It All Started
I started GSM Entrepreneur in 2019 after discovering Paul O'Mahony's Rethink Social Media training.
At the time, I was looking for a way to build something online and create another source of income.
Like many beginners, I thought there must be a simple system that would show me exactly what to do.
What I discovered instead was that building an online business takes time.
I've tried different affiliate programs, products, tools and strategies over the years. I've worked with platforms such as WarriorPlus and JVZoo, experimented with email marketing, built funnels, worked with Systeme.io and learned about traffic, social media and affiliate marketing along the way.
Some things worked.
Some things didn't.
And some things looked fantastic when I first discovered them but turned out not to be nearly as useful as I expected.
I've made mistakes too.
That's normal when you're learning something new.
Why I Keep GSM Entrepreneur Going
After all these years, I'm still building.
And honestly, that's important to me.
I don't want this website to be another place telling beginners:
"Just follow these three steps and you'll be rich."
That's not how I see online business.
There is no magic button.
There are no guaranteed earnings.
And buying another course or another tool doesn't automatically build a business.
What matters is learning how the pieces fit together and then actually putting them to work.
That's what I want to share here.
What You'll Find on GSM Entrepreneur
I write about the things I'm learning and the things that I believe can genuinely help someone who is starting out.
You'll find information about:
Affiliate marketing for beginners
How affiliate programs and commissions work
Building an email list
Email marketing
Creating simple funnels
Social media marketing
No-face content strategies
Getting traffic to your website
Useful online marketing tools
Ways beginners can start building an online business
Lessons I've learned from my own mistakes
I'm particularly interested in helping people who don't have a huge budget, don't consider themselves technical, and don't want to spend their lives trying to become social-media celebrities.
You don't need to have everything figured out before you start.
I certainly didn't.
If You're Starting From Zero
If affiliate marketing is completely new to you, don't try to learn everything at once.
Start with the basics.
1. Understand Affiliate Marketing
First learn what affiliate marketing actually is and how the business model works.
You don't create the product yourself. Instead, you recommend products or services and may earn a commission when someone makes a qualifying purchase through your affiliate link.
But there is more to it than simply putting links everywhere.
You need people to find your content, trust what you're saying and believe that the product you're recommending is worth considering.
2. Choose Something You Can Actually Talk About
You don't have to promote every product you see.
Choose a subject that you can learn about, write about and help other people with.
The goal isn't to become an expert overnight.
The goal is to become useful.
3. Learn How to Get Visitors
A website without visitors is difficult to build into a business.
That's why I talk about search traffic, social media and other ways of getting your content in front of people who are genuinely interested in the subject.
You don't necessarily need to show your face or become an influencer.
There are different ways to build an audience.
4. Start Building an Email List
This is something I've come to understand more and more during my own journey.
If you depend entirely on a social media platform to reach people, you don't control that platform.
Building an email list gives you another way to stay connected with people who have chosen to hear from you.
I've been working on this part of my own business too — including building my first simple lead magnet and email funnel.
I'm not going to pretend it has all been perfectly smooth.
It hasn't.
But I'm learning how it works and sharing that journey here.
5. Recommend Products Carefully
This is probably one of the most important lessons I've learned.
Don't promote something just because someone promises a big commission.
Before recommending something, I believe you should ask:
Is it useful?
Is it suitable for the person I'm recommending it to?
Does it actually solve a problem?
Would I feel comfortable recommending it to someone I know?
Your reputation is worth more than one affiliate commission.
My Free Beginner Checklist
If you're feeling overwhelmed by all the things you need to learn, I've created a free Affiliate Marketing Beginner Checklist to give you a simple starting point.
👉 Get the Free Affiliate Marketing Checklist
It won't magically build a business for you.
But it can help you understand the basic pieces and give you somewhere to start.
Want to Learn More?
You can also explore the free affiliate marketing training that originally helped me rethink the way I looked at social media and online business.
👉 Watch the Free Affiliate Marketing Training
Some of the products, services, and training I mention on GSM Entrepreneur may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of my links, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
I will always try to be clear about that.
What I Believe
I believe you can build an online business without pretending to be something you're not.
You don't have to know everything.
You don't need the most expensive tools.
You don't need thousands of followers.
And you certainly don't need to believe every "make money fast" promise you see online.
You do need patience, consistency, a willingness to learn and the ability to keep going when something doesn't work the first time.
I'm still working on all of those things myself.
My Goal
I'm building GSM Entrepreneur because I want to create something useful that can grow with me.
My goal isn't to become an overnight success. My goal is to build a sustainable online business that creates long-term income while helping beginners learn how to build one of their own.
If you're on a similar journey, I hope you'll stick around.
I'll share what I'm learning — the good, the bad and the things I wish I'd known when I started.
Welcome to GSM Entrepreneur.
Gerda