My journey from affiliate marketing to digital products is beginning to take shape.
Another new subscriber. Another small affiliate commission. And some exciting plans that could take my online business in a completely new direction.
That’s where things stand right now.
I’ve spent much of this weekend working my regular job, so I haven’t had quite as much time as I would have liked to devote to my online business.
But that doesn’t mean things have stopped moving.
Actually, there are three developments I want to share today.
The first is another small affiliate commission.
The second is a new email subscriber.
And the third, perhaps most exciting of all, is that I’m now seriously considering launching my first digital product before the end of 2026.
Let’s get into it!
1. Another $5 Affiliate Commission – Why Small Wins Matter
Since my previous update, I’ve earned another affiliate commission of approximately $5.
Now, I know what some people might think.
Five dollars?
Is that really worth celebrating?
Well, I certainly think so.
Of course, five dollars isn’t going to pay my bills or allow me to leave my regular job.
But every legitimate sale means something.
Someone discovered an offer, found it interesting enough to take action and completed a purchase.
And I received a commission for helping make that connection.
That’s what affiliate marketing is all about.
When you’re building an online business from the ground up, it’s easy to focus entirely on the big numbers.
You see people sharing impressive income screenshots and talking about making thousands of dollars every month.
But every successful affiliate marketer had to start somewhere.
For me, ClickBank Profit Club has played an important role in learning how affiliate marketing works and generating my first commissions.
It’s a system created by John Thornhill that provides training, marketing resources and opportunities to promote digital products.
And one thing worth mentioning is that the basic membership is free to join.
If you’re curious about the system I’ve been using, you can explore it here:
Explore ClickBank Profit Club – Free to Join
There are optional paid upgrades, but you don’t have to purchase one simply to explore the free membership.
Naturally, there are no guarantees of earning commissions.
You still need to learn, attract visitors and put in the work.
But every small commission reminds me that the process can produce real results.
And that’s motivating.
2. Another New Subscriber – Building Relationships One Person at a Time
I’ve also welcomed another new subscriber to my email list.
That might not sound particularly impressive either.
But I’m increasingly convinced that building a quality email list is one of the most important parts of creating a sustainable online business.
One genuinely interested subscriber can be more valuable than dozens of people who have little interest in what you’re offering.
After all, email marketing isn’t just about collecting addresses.
It’s about communicating with real people.
Providing useful information.
Sharing experiences.
And recommending products when they’re genuinely relevant.
I’ve recently spent quite a bit of time improving my AWeber email sequences.
I want to make sure subscribers receive helpful messages in a logical order rather than constantly being bombarded with unrelated offers.
That’s something I intend to continue improving.
My goal is to build an email list where people actually look forward to receiving my messages.
Not one where every email feels like another sales pitch.
For now, I’m happy to welcome another subscriber.
One person at a time.
One conversation at a time.
That’s how genuine relationships begin.
From Affiliate Marketing to Digital Products: My Bigger Ambition
Now for the development that has me particularly excited.
I’ve started thinking seriously about creating my own digital product.
Until now, most of my attention has been on affiliate marketing.
That means promoting products developed by other people and earning commissions when someone makes a qualifying purchase through my links.
It’s an attractive business model because you don’t need to build the product yourself.
You can concentrate on learning marketing, attracting visitors, creating content and developing relationships with potential customers.
But I’ve begun asking myself an important question.
What if I could use everything I’m learning to create something of my own?
That’s where the transition from affiliate marketing to digital products becomes interesting.
Instead of only promoting other people’s products, I could also offer something that I’ve helped develop.
A product designed to solve a particular problem.
Something useful that people might genuinely want to purchase.
Of course, that also introduces new challenges.
Product development takes time.
You need a clear idea, an audience, a marketing strategy and a way to support customers.
And just because you create something doesn’t mean anyone will buy it.
But I find the prospect exciting.
One of the resources I’ve invested in during my online business journey is Coaching Profit System, which focuses on building and marketing a product-based online business.
If you’re interested in learning more about that approach, you can explore the program here:
Discover Coaching Profit System
I’m certainly not planning to abandon affiliate marketing.
Quite the opposite.
I want to continue building my affiliate business while exploring opportunities to develop digital products of my own.
I believe those two approaches can complement one another.
And learning how to create and launch a product could become an important part of my long-term business strategy.
3. My First Digital Product Before the End of 2026?
Here’s the ambitious part.
I’d love to launch my first digital product before the end of this year.
That leaves me a little over two months to turn an idea into something real.
And I haven’t finalized the product concept yet!
So there’s definitely work to be done.
The first step is identifying a problem that needs solving.
I don’t want to create a product simply because I think having my own product would be exciting.
It needs to provide genuine value.
Who would benefit from it?
What challenges are those people facing?
What could I create that would make something easier, faster or more effective for them?
Those are some of the questions I’ve started considering.
I also think there’s a strong argument for keeping the first product relatively focused.
Rather than trying to build something huge and complicated, I’d prefer to concentrate on solving one specific problem particularly well.
Whether I manage to meet the December deadline remains to be seen.
But having a target gives me something concrete to work toward.
And the idea of moving from affiliate marketing to digital products is becoming more exciting the more I think about it.
I’ll share more details as the plans develop.
A Busy Weekend at My Regular Job
While all these ideas have been taking shape, everyday life has continued as usual.
And this weekend, that has meant spending plenty of hours at my regular job.
It’s still the work that pays most of my bills.
Until my online income becomes stable enough, I need to balance both activities.
Sometimes that can be frustrating.
There are so many things I’d like to work on.
New blog articles.
SEO improvements.
Email marketing.
Product research.
And now, potentially, developing my own product.
But there are only so many hours in a day.
I’ve previously written about building online income while working full time, and this weekend has reminded me once again how important consistency really is.
I don’t need to accomplish everything in one weekend.
What matters is that I continue moving forward.
Even if some days offer fewer opportunities than others.
Keeping My Content-Sharing Routine Going
Despite the busy weekend, I’m continuing with my regular content-sharing activities.
Whenever I publish a new blog article, I want to make sure it reaches people beyond my website.
My main platforms remain Substack, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Each serves a slightly different purpose.
Substack helps me share my experiences with readers interested in online business and affiliate marketing.
LinkedIn gives me opportunities to connect with people interested in entrepreneurship, marketing and professional development.
Facebook remains another useful channel for sharing content and keeping my online business visible.
I don’t expect every post to generate sales.
Some receive attention.
Others barely get noticed.
And that’s fine.
My approach is to keep showing up and gradually learn which types of content resonate with different audiences.
I’ve also been reviewing my Google Search Console and Google Analytics statistics.
It’s encouraging to see that some of my blog articles are beginning to appear in Google’s search results.
Organic traffic is still very limited, but the early signs of visibility give me something to build on.
I’m also following Google’s official guidance on creating helpful content as I continue improving my blog.
Rather than writing purely for search engines, I want to produce articles based on real experiences that readers may find useful.
That’s the kind of website I want to build.
John Thornhill’s New $47 ClickBank Profit Club Upgrade
There’s also some interesting news from ClickBank Profit Club.
John Thornhill has recently introduced a new email marketing upgrade priced at $47.
From what I’ve seen, it extends the existing automated email follow-up system with another 90 prewritten emails.
That means the follow-up sequence can continue from day 31 through day 120.
I can certainly see the potential value.
One of the challenges in affiliate marketing is maintaining contact with subscribers over an extended period.
A well-structured email sequence can help you share useful information and relevant offers without having to write every message from scratch.
And since I’ve recently been improving my AWeber setup, the timing is quite interesting.
However, I haven’t decided whether to get the upgrade yet.
First, I want to understand how those additional messages would fit alongside the email sequences I’ve already created.
I don’t want subscribers receiving overlapping campaigns or too many promotional messages.
I’m also checking whether this particular upgrade might already be included in one of my existing CBPC memberships.
At $47, the price isn’t particularly high compared with many marketing products.
But I’ve learned that every business investment deserves consideration.
A product is only valuable if it genuinely helps you achieve something.
Why I’m Learning to Appreciate the Small Things
Looking back over the past few months, I’ve noticed something about my mindset.
In the beginning, I was naturally focused on earning my first affiliate commission.
Then I wanted another.
And another.
Over time, I’ve started thinking more about the bigger picture.
How do I attract genuinely interested readers?
How do I build an email list people actually want to be part of?
How do I improve my content?
And how can I develop a business that becomes more valuable and sustainable over time?
That’s why small commissions still matter.
They’re reminders that real transactions are taking place.
They’re also opportunities to learn what works and what doesn’t.
The same applies to subscribers, blog articles and traffic.
One new subscriber might not seem significant.
One additional Google impression might seem almost meaningless.
But over time, consistent improvements can begin to add up.
And if I eventually succeed in launching my own digital product, that will introduce an entirely new set of lessons.
I’m looking forward to those challenges.
Final Thoughts: Small Progress, Exciting Times Ahead
So that’s where things stand today.
Another small affiliate commission of approximately $5.
One more subscriber on my email list.
A busy weekend at my regular job.
My usual content-sharing activities across Substack, LinkedIn and Facebook.
An interesting new email marketing upgrade from John Thornhill.
And perhaps most importantly, the beginning of a serious plan to launch my first digital product before the end of 2026.
There are still plenty of unanswered questions.
And I know there’s a lot of work ahead.
But I like the direction things are heading.
My journey from affiliate marketing to digital products is just beginning.
And I have a feeling the next couple of months could be particularly interesting.
Thanks for following along!
Fredrik
Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase an optional paid product through one of my links, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. My results reflect my personal experience and do not guarantee similar earnings for anyone else.
