Believe it or not, most people fail at online marketing because they don’t know what they want.

They aren’t sure if they want to create their own products, or sell other people’s products … or do both.

They think they want a mailing list, but they don’t want to write an ezine every week. They buy every how-to product, and every automation software that comes out … but nothing they do seems to pay off.

Their problem is simple — they don’t know what business they’re in! It’s not enough to want to make money online. You must know what you do and don’t want to do to earn that money.

Then you have to test that model, decide if it suits you both financially and temperamentally, and stick with it so it has a fighting chance of paying off.

Most new students in Affiliate Classroom are there because they’re confused. They have all the talent to make a great living online. But they need direction. And they need to get some support so they can finally launch their very first site, cash their first commission checks, and then make wise choices about their entire business.

This is why Affiliate Classroom teaches them to follow a tested, proven affiliate business model. Students learn how to organize their product research, site building, and niche choices according to a formula that includes every basic component of successful affiliate marketing.

Once they finish their first site, they don’t just KNOW about affiliate marketing, they can DO every aspect of it. Then they can repeat the process, pare it down, modify it, or expand it. They get coaching and support that helps them set the right goals and decide what sort of business works best for them, both financially and emotionally.

Like those students, everyone needs to get their feet wet. They have to build a site and try selling something, and learn from that experience. Then you have to decide what business you’re in — list building, PPC, search engine marketing, niche products, content development and monetization, portals, mini-sites, or some combination of all of those. And then stick with it.

Today you can make an excellent living online in all sorts of ways. You can do it just with a loyal mailing list.

You can also do it WITHOUT any opt-in list at all. You can do it with mini-sites based on the direct mail model, or with big content sites that pull in contextual ad revenue like mad. You can start one way — by bringing in quick cash with directory sites, for example — and then switch to a more solid model.

But you have to start. And you have to stick with it. You have to know what your business is, and you have to choose a business model that supports your goals.