The Affiliate Marketing Inventor?

I hate to admit it, but I've always been a bit of a geek all of my life. I was reminded by this fact from my mother this past weekend. She said to me: "I haven't heard about any of your 'invention' ideas of late." She made a good point! In my quest to quitting my day job and making millions of dollars while sitting on a beach sipping pina coladas, I have spend countless hours throughout my life thinking about that "invention to make me rich". I've seen the Oprah shows that shows some funny looking person who came up with some silly idea that is making them millions right now. That should be me! And over time, I have come up with some pretty good ideas (at least, I think I did!).

But really, let's get real! Was I really going to make and sell these products? There is a lot of overhead involved in creating your own product:

1) Thinking it up!
2) Researching the marketplace (does it exist?)
3) Protecting your idea (patent? $)
4) Prototyping your product ($)
5) Testing your product ($$)
6) Producing your product ($$$)
7) Marketing and selling your product ($$$$)

Boy, there are a lot of dollar signs above. I have also looked into "invention" companies, but they usually want a decent amount of money up front (if they are reputable) and, if the product ever becomes a hit, they usually take a fair chunk of the profit. What is the old saying: "You've got to spend money to make money!". Creating your own investment is a fairly large financial risk and time commitment, but the pay-offs can be HUGE!

When I discovered online money making opportunities, much of my "invention-thinking" energy was re-directed. I realized a fair way back that my ideas were good, but really, I was not prepared to sacriface my career and the stability of my household to test them out. Affiliate marketing provides me the opportunity to:

1) Make a lot of money! (maybe not as much of inventing your own product, but enough to fulfill my pina-colada drinking dreams)
2) Invest little money and time…I do not sacriface much at this time.
3) Make money without working (once on auto-pilot, can you say pina-colada again?)
4) *VERY IMPORTANT: Allows me to be creative and inventive in a very productive way!

That was the answer to my mother's question! I find myself thinking and pondering different products to promote, how to promote them, to whom to promote them, the design of the website or blog, etc. Affiliate marketing has given me a positive and prosperous outlet for this inventive mind of mine. What I now dream up becomes a reality. And ironically, if I ever DID want to invent products, my knowledge of the internet and its resources (which I have learned through my online ventures) have given me the tools to effectively promote and sell my own inventive product.

I am still not drinking my pina-colada quite yet, but every few days or so, I get a little sip and boy, does it taste good!