5,000 a month really isnt that hard to rack up each month through affiliate advertising done the right way...
maybe if you are paying thousands to advertise on PPC. But this site is about being a webmaster, not gambling with money on Adwords because you can't make your own site.
Did pay a lot in advertising though to make 5K a month at least initially? Did you write your own scripts on your sites that made them stand out? Just curious.
A 20% ROI is nothing to sneeze at. There is nothing wrong with putting out 10k to bring in 12k, especially if it's consistent. Profit is profit.
A friend of mine started his business wayback in 2003 and he had earned over $50k plus some $$$$ monthly. I just dont know how. Now its 2008 and i am struggling with just counting pennies. It looks like as years pass, only very little fortune left in internet.
You have a point. Ive always thought it gets harder and harder the longer the net has been around. Sites that been around a while rank high plus they have made a name for themselves. Thats why the faster and sooner you work the better it will work because its almost "too late" to make a living off the net if your just STARTING to learn things now.
I pull in around $800 per month, but I've been really cutting down the money I make because I've been in a bad place with setting something big up for a couple of months. Hopfully I'll be able to get back in action soon and hopfully it'll pay off.