Starting an Affiliate Network

[imbckagn]

I own many sites in a specific niche and two of them are the authority sites in that niche. I am kicking around the idea of starting my own network that caters to that niche.

I figured using my own sites would give me an advantage kicking off the network and building credibility. My question is does anyone have an idea of the capital needed to get set up? I'm not looking for an exact figure just a ballpark 50k, 100k you get the idea.

I only have experience as an affiliate never as a manager or owner so I realize there will be big a learning curve.

[mack]

Its difficult to give any real figures because the specifics would vary a lot from industry to industry. Are you planning to serve ads and also sell advertising? with other sites able to display adverts as an affiliate?

Its something that needs to be done right. I'm not sure what level of developer you are, but it will very likely require a custom script/application to make it possible.

My suggestion would be to use your own sites to get the system set up, running and tested then invite others within the nice to get involved. Think of it as a soft launch. this may reduce your immediate investment and allow you to gauge if it is worth trying.

Mack.