Why Software Isn’t Easy Money — and What to Do Instead in 2025 | by Toni Fitzgerald | ILLUMINATION | Apr, 2025

Let’s move to something a bit lighter: affiliate marketing. I’ve made millions from it over the years, but I’ve never relied on it as a main business. It’s more of a background income stream.

Affiliate marketing is simple. You promote products using unique links, and when someone buys through your link, you earn a commission. You’ve seen this before, YouTubers saying “link in the description”? That’s affiliate marketing.

I used affiliate links in my past agency programs, not through social media, but to recommend tools clients already needed. Win-win. They got a great product; I got passive income.

But let’s be honest: affiliate marketing has limits.

Upfront Capital:
Very low. You can get started with $100–$200, mostly for content tools or AI assistance.

Scalability:
Moderate. You can promote multiple products, but each piece of content can only cover so much. To scale, you need more content, and that means time and effort.

Fulfillment:
Technically easy. You’re not responsible for delivering the product. But the real “work” lies in building content and growing an audience to use your links.

Risk:
Low. Minimal investment, and even if affiliate marketing doesn’t work out, building a personal brand pays off in other ways.

Difficulty:
Moderate. Finding affiliate offers and using the links is easy. But growing an audience? That takes time, consistency, and skill.

Affiliate marketing is great for side income, but not something I’d call a full-fledged business. It’s more of a stepping stone.