It is very easy to join an affiliate program. You can start advertising the same day as they give you your affiliate web page link. That is literally all there is to it as far as planting the seed and starting out. The program provides the product or service that you can earn money from if you are able to sell it.
So far you have invested nothing – no time, no effort (yet) and the only money you have spent so far is the membership dues if applicable. You are getting a very fair deal in most cases if there are no contracts other than month-to-month (no contract should be a requirement when determining which program you want to start out with).
Just factor in what you would have had to spend to start a business without being able to join an affiliate program. Consider the cost of market research and product development, programming, website development, operations management, etc. You are looking at years and big bucks unless you can do all of the things necessary to create a business.
So don’t begrudge the program and realize that they need to maintain their business and they could not provide all that they do and pay affiliate commissions, without your contribution. That’s why affiliates are referred to as ‘members’ rather than customers.
Just consider that cost as ‘the cost of doing business’ and accept it gratefully. Any other attitude is going to impede you, such as being in a big rush to see results based only on the fact that you are paying monthly dues and quite possibly not seeing any return on investment in the beginning.
If you really engage in your business and use all of the resources that are available to you to learn how to earn money online – the more you apply yourself the sooner you will see your results. If you put in just a half-way effort, then that is what you will receive if anything.
Note that there are different models where you can join free and then upgrade to make more money if ever or whenever you are ready to get serious. With that said there are actually a few programs you can even make money with at the free level.
Eventually you may wish to add more affiliate programs to your portfolio of money-making ventures and again benefit from any and all tools and resources they will provide. These assets do include some level of training most of the time and you should take full advantage of everything you can so that you will keep learning more, which will make it more likely you will have a successful business.