My Story – A 20+ Year Journey Toward Financial Independence

Where It All Began (Age 18)

Timeline 1993-1998

I was 18 years old, fresh out of high school, and already thinking differently than most people around me.

However, I did know one thing and that was i didn’t want to work for someone else and help fullfill their dream instead of working on my own.

At this point in time,I didn’t know what “entrepreneurship” was yet.

I just knew I didn’t want to spend my life locked into one path.

This was pre-internet before there was wifi and all the technology we have today in 2026.

We had snail mail and magazine advertising back then.

I remember answering an ad from a magazine that claims to pay you $500 a week for assembling crafts at home and sending them back for payment.

I’ve tried Herbalife (My first run-in with MLM

SMC, A direct selling company and many other “Work From Home” opportunities that were available in the early to late 90’s

The Early Hustle Years

Timeline 2002-2010

As the years went on, I continued to try multiple opportunities.

I’ve encountered multiple MLM recruiting opportunities which just isn’t my thing.

This was also when I was into ebay pretty hardcore and was making pretty decent money flipping hot toys and rare finds that i found while i’m out and turn that into hundreds in profit on ebay.

I also have signed up for i don’t know how many Clickbank products that promised me i’d be a millionaire by this time tomorrow night by using their super secret system.

I did manage to make a few bucks here and there with a few programs but overall it was a waste of time in the long run.

These years taught me something most people never realize: Not every opportunity is a good business, and not every business is built to last.

The First Online Shift (AmeriPlan Era)

Timeline 2011-2012

In late 2011 early 2012, I got mixed up with yet another MLM program that I thought was different from the rest out there.

Ameriplan involved selling discounted dental + health programs (Not Insurance) over the phone by implementing their phone script instructions.

If you know anything about me, you know that I like to give every program a fair shot without taking other people’s opinions.

Therefore, I tried Ameriplan out for a couple months and did my due diligence with them.

After digging deep and exposing the truth and the dirt, and talking to a few other previous members, I decided Ameriplan wasn’t for me.

How I Discovered Affiliate Marketing

Timeline 2012-2015

After ditching Ameriplan and doing my research, I discovered affiliate marketing.

I started to dig deeper and this is when I discovered Wealthy Affiliate

Of course I was quite skeptical with good reason.

However, there was something about this company that set it apart from the other opportunities in the past.

Instead of being told I’d make a million dollars by tomorrow I actually learned skills.

I learned about how to build websites, create content, SEO, traffic systems, and long-term assets.

Instead of chasing shiny objects, I started building platforms.

Instead of cold calling and pitching offers, I focused on building connections and helping solve peoples problems.

For the first time in over 20 years I felt like I was actually getting somewhere.

This was the breakthrough I was searching for my entire life!!

And here’s the memory that marks this era better than any dashboard screenshot ever could.

On August 23rd, 2014 — almost exactly one year after I went all-in — I was standing in Comerica Park in Detroit for the closing night of The Monster Tour: Eminem and Rihanna, co-headlining in Em’s hometown.

That show was one of the first big experiences this new business helped make possible.

A decade later it would be Taylor Swift at Wembley in London — but Detroit 2014 was the first time “this actually works” became something I could feel in real life instead of just numbers in a dashboard.

Checkout My 2026 Wealthy Affiliate Review: Wealthy Affiliate Review

Wealthy Affiliate Las Vegas (2016)

Timeline 2016

The Hard Years & How I Pulled Through

Timeline 2017-2021

After getting home from Las Vegas things didn’t exactly go as planned. My mothers health took a turn for the worst which had a negative impact on my online business.

I couldn’t focus on writing content and there were many other issues i was facing.

My business was still making consistent sales and revenue but over 2018, 2019, and especially 2020, it started to decline.

There were also many techical issues going on behind the scenes and a few changes i made that equates for the loss in traffic and sales.

Also with being in the middle of a pandemic with Covid 19 on the rise, I guess this is to be expected.

However, I continued to push forward even when things weren’t the greatest.

I eventually got out of the slump and started getting really good at writing and ranking product reviews on the first page of Google.

I continued to focus on writing product reviews by thoroughly reviewing products, giving my honest opinions, and writing the reviews based off my experience.

This did really good until around the end of 2021.

Stepping Away To Build Another Income Stream

Timeline 2022-2023

At first it started out small with only a few people here and there.

However,after the word got out, my small side hustle had grown into something that took up a good majority of my day and night.

Therefore, I had to put my affiliate business on pause because i was making substantial money with this side hustle I accidently created.

That’s a good problem to have but i really wanted to get back into the affiliate side of things.

I focused on this side hustle for the majority of 2022 and 2023.

I had built a pretty good customer base and was introducing new products to my customers on a weekly basis.

Things were going pretty good and I was impressed with the amount of money I’d make in such a short time.

I knew this was only temporarly and I’ve learned from previous experiences to always be preparing for the future.

Never settle for what you’re doing, always be looking for ways to improve.

My Return-Rebuilding For A New ERA

Timeline 2024- Present

I knew I couldn’t be away from affiliate marketing too long.

In 2024 I decided to come back and see how things were since I had stepped away for a couple years.

When I stepped back into affiliate marketing, the landscape was unrecognizable from the one I originally built in.

Search engines had changed. AI had reshaped how content is created and discovered.

Traditional SEO alone was no longer enough.

Relying on search engine rankings without distribution was a losing strategy.

Coming back meant relearning everything.

I had to shift from an SEO-first mindset to a social-first, SEO-everywhere approach.

Learning short-form content, platform algorithms, and profile optimization was quite the challenge.

I also learned that attention matters over keywords now.

Learning how to create reels and learning how to build a social media following was challenging in itself.

However, I’m currently building a following as I type out this page. (Stay Tuned)