I’ve been working on my affiliate marketing business for a while now, and I’ll be honest—it hasn’t been easy. In fact, it’s been incredibly frustrating. I’ve had one sale, one, in all this time. Emails I send out to my audience barely get replies. The blogs I’ve poured hours into don’t get many comments, and my TikTok account—which initially showed promise—has seen a noticeable dip in views and new followers.
Each one of these struggles feels like a blow to my confidence. When you put your heart into something and don’t see the results, it’s easy to spiral into worry and doubt. Am I doing something wrong? Will I ever make this work? That nagging voice in the back of my head keeps telling me I’m wasting my time, and the weight of it all can be overwhelming. And honestly, it messes with your mental health. When the progress slows down, it feels like you’re sinking.
The Emotional Rollercoaster
There are days when the anxiety hits hard. You wake up ready to hustle, but then you check your email—no replies. You look at your blog, and there’s no engagement. You scroll through TikTok, and your latest video has barely made a dent in views. It’s discouraging, and it makes you question your path. You wonder if anyone out there is actually paying attention.
It feels personal. The momentum you had starts to fade, and suddenly, you’re second-guessing every step. For me, the hardest part has been how this uncertainty affects my confidence. It’s like being stuck in limbo, not sure whether to keep pushing or to shift gears entirely. My mind starts playing tricks, turning every slow day into a sign that I’m failing. The mental drain is real, and it’s hard to stay motivated when things feel stagnant.
Putting Things into Perspective
But here’s what I’ve realised. These are just feelings. They aren’t facts. They aren’t reality. The truth is, every business—affiliate marketing included—has its highs and lows. The slow periods, the times when it feels like nothing is happening, are just part of the journey. You’re not failing; you’re growing.
It’s easy to forget that success isn’t linear. Things don’t happen overnight. There are seasons where everything moves at a hundred miles an hour, and then there are times when it feels like everything has come to a grinding halt. But both seasons are necessary.
Many successful businesses took years to gain traction. Did you know that Amazon, the retail giant, didn’t turn a profit for almost seven years after it started? Even giants like Apple struggled in their early years. These companies endured setbacks, slow growth, and challenges. But they persisted. The key is understanding that what you’re experiencing is normal.
Techniques to Manage the Anxiety
Here are a few tools that have helped me put things in perspective when anxiety and doubt creep in:
- Daily Gratitude Practice – Write down three things you’re grateful for every day. It shifts your focus from what’s not working to what is.
- Limit Social Media Comparisons – Remember, people only show their highlights. You’re comparing your journey to someone else’s peak.
- Chunk Your Goals – Break your goals into smaller, more manageable pieces. Celebrate small wins.
- Meditation – Taking 10 minutes each day to meditate has been a game-changer for reducing my anxiety. I pray 5 times a day.
- Exercise – Getting out and moving helps clear the mind. It’s amazing how a short walk can reset your mood.
- Talk to a Mentor – Sometimes an outside perspective is all you need to see things clearly. You have me, but you have to reach out, I can’t guess how you are feeling.
- Join a Supportive Community – Find like-minded people who understand the struggle. You don’t have to go through this alone.
- Focus on What You Can Control – You can’t control how many people comment on your blog or follow you, but you can control how often you post.
- Time Blocking – Set dedicated times for work and rest. Don’t burn yourself out by obsessing over slow progress.
- Remind Yourself Why You Started – Keep your “why” front and centre. That passion is what will keep you going during tough times.
10 Actions to Move Forward
And when it comes to practical steps, here’s what you can do to actually keep pushing forward:
- Revisit your email copy and experiment with new subject lines or formats.
- Engage more with your audience on social media—comment on their posts and answer questions.
- Add more value to your blog—focus on solving specific problems your audience faces.
- Post consistently on TikTok and experiment with trends to increase visibility.
- Offer free resources or incentives to build your email list.
- Research more about how to improve blog traffic.
- Repurpose content across platforms to reach a broader audience.
- Network with other affiliate marketers and exchange ideas.
- Find an accountability partner to help keep you motivated.
- Most importantly—don’t stop. Keep showing up.
You’re on the Right Path
It’s okay to feel frustrated; it’s natural. The key is not letting it stop you. Every slow period is a chance to reflect, adjust, and keep building. You can and will make this happen.
If you’re struggling like I was, I highly recommend reading The Iceberg Effect. It’s the book that helped correct all the misconceptions I had about affiliate marketing and saved me from wasting months doing things I shouldn’t have. This book will give you the clarity and direction you need to start seeing progress. It’s free, and you only pay for shipping. Plus, it comes with some valuable bonuses that will help you avoid the mistakes I made. You can grab it HERE.
Stay the course, keep your head up, and remember: success is just around the corner.
Let me know in the comments any thoughts on what you’ve read here and what you think you’ve learnt and what you think you’ll start to do different. What will you stop doing now and what will you start doing? I’d love to hear from you, so please do leave comments below.
Thank you for reading, I hope it helped you in some way. You are only a few steps behind me!
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Until next time, take care.
Atif
#Atif’s Academy
Great tips on how to approach “the slump” we all face at one time or another in our online businesses. (See Ernie’s post about the “slump.”)
Taking care of parents or a parent, as you are doing, adds monumental stress! When my dad was in a nursing home, I felt tremendous guilt about that. I was working a full time nursing job, and my husband also worked full time, and we both commuted hours away in different directions. Talk about never ending stress piling up.
Keep going!!
Hi Atif – I am right there with you, my friend! It can be frustrating and challenging when you put in all this work with the expectation that there will be some results. I am glad to know that this is not only a numbers game, but it is also a relationship game. There is no doubt that some people have become massively successful and wealthy very quickly, but at what cost or was it just plain luck. Like you, I’ve only made a very small amount of income from my efforts. I am very optimistic that this will pay off. It has to as I I’m in it for the long game. I appreciate your advice and reminders in dealing with anxiety and things that we can do to move this business along. Thanks for being the calming force that you are and for your value-added content!
“feelings not facts” – that’s good.
Something I find encouraging is listening to successful people talk about their journey – they all have similar experiences, hard times they felt they were failures. But they didn’t give up. Many of them still have to deal with the feelings, even when the facts say they’ve succeeded. Anyhow, we may not all become the next big thing, but there’s enough room in this industry for all of us, we can make it if we don’t give up.
Atif,
I have certainly felt the slump, but I continue to march forward. I have been at this game for about 5 years and there are lots of down times especially when you put in all the work and nothing happens.
Loved this post! It’s so refreshing to hear someone talk about the real struggles of building an affiliate business—especially when progress feels slow. The emotional rollercoaster is real! But your perspective on keeping things in check, focusing on what we can control, and breaking down those big goals into smaller steps is spot on. Definitely going to try the gratitude and time-blocking tips! Thanks for sharing your journey—you’ll look back at this blog post in a year when you’ve made 100’s of sales and smile.
Hi Atif,
I can definitely relate – and agree!
I’ve been developing a music app with business partners for – hold your socks – the past 4 years!
But the fun part is that we’re closer to the goal than before and, even though we wanted to quit at one point but didn’t, (the time and money already invested was too much to just write-off), we should be able to present the app by the end of this month!
As you mention, if we stop looking at what isn’t working and focus on what IS working; thank you for that reminder & keep going forward, you’re doing fantastic!
(that doesn’t include the help you’re providing to us around you! LOL!)
I hear you, Atif. The self doubt, the frustration etc. But we must keep going, we must not give up as so many do. Thanks for the encouragement and positive recommendations.