If you’ve been following my journey recently, you’ll know that I’m completely new to this world of building an online business. Now, that’s probably not something many affiliate marketers would admit, but I think it’s important to be honest, especially with the people who are trusting me to show them the real path rather than the polished, pretend one.
I’ve spent years creating content online. In fact, I’ve built YouTube channels with millions of subscribers, so you’d think I’d have found all this easy. But when it came to the Profit Hub System website, funnels, email marketing, affiliate marketing and automation, I was very much a beginner. A total beginner. The kind who sits there staring at a screen wondering what on earth half the buttons even do.
To be honest, during my first few days I wondered whether I’d made a mistake.
There were so many moving parts. WordPress. Divi. SendShark. Landing pages. Forms. Email sequences. Domains. Lists. Tags. It honestly felt like I was trying to learn another language, one where every new word led to three more words I didn’t understand either. And if you’ve ever tried to learn something completely new later in life, you’ll know exactly the feeling I mean.
If you’re over 50, or perhaps your mind works a little differently like mine does with ADHD, that feeling can be incredibly frustrating. We often want to understand everything immediately. We want to sit down, learn it in an afternoon, and get on with things. When we don’t get there straight away, it’s easy to think, “Maybe this just isn’t for me. Maybe I’ve left it too late.”
Thankfully, I didn’t quit.
Instead, I decided to slow right down. Rather than trying to master the entire platform in one weekend, I simply focused on learning one thing at a time. One day it was creating a page. The next day it was understanding email lists. Another day it was working out how to connect a form so it actually did what I wanted it to do. Little by little, the fog began to lift. Not all at once, and not in some dramatic way, but slowly, the way most good things happen.
And here’s something interesting I noticed along the way. The platform itself didn’t suddenly become easier. It was exactly the same as it had always been. What changed was me. I was becoming more familiar with it, bit by bit, click by click. That might sound obvious when I write it down like this, but it was a lesson I genuinely needed to learn, and I suspect I’m not the only one.
One of the reasons I’ve continued with Profit Hub System is because I don’t see it as just another affiliate program sitting alongside a dozen others I’ve tried and abandoned. I see it as my online business hub. It’s the place where I can build my website, create pages, grow an email list, recommend products I genuinely believe in, and, most importantly, build something that I actually own.
That last point is incredibly important, and it’s worth sitting with for a moment.
For years I’ve built audiences on YouTube. (See Jason Stephenson Meditation) While YouTube has been wonderful to me, I also experienced what it feels like to lose access to a channel with over one million subscribers overnight, with no warning and very little explanation. Thankfully I eventually got it back, but it taught me a valuable lesson I haven’t forgotten since. When someone else owns the platform, you’re always building on rented land. You can do everything right and still lose it all in an instant, simply because it was never really yours to begin with.
Your email list is different. Your website is different. They’re assets that belong to you, that nobody can take away with the click of a button somewhere in a head office you’ll never see. That’s why I’ve become so passionate about encouraging people to build a home for their business instead of relying entirely on social media, however tempting that might feel in the short term.
Does that mean you’ll make money overnight? No. And honestly, I’d be very cautious of anyone who promises that, because in my experience, those promises rarely hold up. Like any worthwhile business, this takes time, patience and a willingness to keep learning even when it’s uncomfortable. There will be moments when you feel completely lost, staring at a screen wondering if you’ve made the wrong decision. I’ve had plenty of those moments already, more than I’d like to admit.
But here’s the encouraging part. I’ve also discovered that every day becomes a little easier than the day before. Not because the technology gets simpler, but because you get more used to it, the same way anything unfamiliar eventually becomes familiar with enough gentle repetition.
If you’re reading this because you’re over 50 and wondering whether you’re too old to learn all of this, let me encourage you the same way I’d encourage a friend sitting across the kitchen table from me. You’re not too old. You simply don’t know it yet. And there’s a big difference between those two things, more than most people realise.
I’m documenting this journey because I want people to see the real experience, not just the highlights reel. I’ll share the mistakes, the frustrations, the small wins and, hopefully, the income that follows in time. If you’re looking for someone who’s pretending to have all the answers, I’m probably not the right person to follow. But if you’d like to learn alongside someone who’s taking one step at a time, just like you, then welcome. I think we’re going to have a wonderful journey together.
📓 Jason’s Journal
Today I finally worked out how to connect my opt-in form to my Thank You page. It sounds like such a small thing, but three days ago I honestly wondered if I’d ever understand it. I’m learning that online business isn’t about giant leaps, it’s about solving one small problem after another, and then quietly moving on to the next one. That’s encouraging, because it means anyone can solve one problem today. Even me. Even you. If you would like to follow my journey, you can sign up here for my emails HERE and see me on my Youtube Channel here.
