One of the most common ways to make money when it comes to blogging, online businesses, or being a figure in the health and wellness space is through paid advertising from larger companies or becoming an affiliate and receiving a kickback for purchases made through your unique links. I made the decision within the last year that I would not be doing any of this, even though it could be a huge source of revenue…

Now before we get too far, I’m not bashing those that decide to go this route. Athletes having sponsorships or bloggers becoming affiliates and selling their favorite products is not usually harmful, but I’ve found myself in a scenario that’s a little different. I’m not just any blogger or influencer, people are trusting my professional judgment to give them the best advice on how to fuel their bodies.

I recently read a book that talked about some of the issues that live in the food and supplement industry related to research bias. When people are receiving funding from companies, there’s always some subconscious bias happening toward that product no matter how hard they try to avoid it. In the things that I do, I want there to be no question that if I suggest any products, protocols, etc that I am doing so because I find it to be beneficial based on personal experience or independent research versus being provided free samples or motivated by a percentage of each sale.

By going this route, I am free to change my mind about companies and products as well as experiment with different brands. Some of you may know, that I have been an affiliate of a supplement company in the past which I have discontinued in the last year. The company grew and changed and I wasn’t a fan of some of those changes and I found myself recommending other products that were a better fit despite the fact that I could be receiving money for promoting a different product. That helped me come to the realization that I didn’t want to be in that situation again.

Again, the affiliate/paid advertising business model is the best route for some businesses. Some very good friends of mine run their websites, blogs, and businesses on this model, and for what they do, it makes sense. But for me and my business, I believe I’m better off just making money promoting my own services. By making this decision, I make it a little harder on myself as an entrepreneur in the era of the internet, but I feel good knowing what I suggest or promote will be genuine and free of bias.