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I am desperate to find a way to start my own home based business, and affiliate marketing seems good because there is virtually no startup cost (I’m broke). Is this something likely to bring in a real income?

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I am in the process of doing my "homework" for finding a legitimate online home based business. First, this is what I will NOT even consider:

1) MLM
2) Get rich fast or overnight schemes that have all the stupid fake testimonials, screen shots of pay pal accounts overflowing with money, and websites with pictures of mansions and piles of cash.
3) Cash gifting
4) One page landing page pitches that ask you to "take a leap of faith."

This is what I WILL consider:

1) An online business or affiliate program that has a reputable track record that can be verified.
2) Building my own PERSONALIZED website (no turnkey websites) having a legitimate product or service that is profitable and popular.
3) A home based business that has a solid business model that can be duplicated.

I realize starting an online business will take time, money and work. And as I said before – I’m performing "due diligence" and I want to keep my start up costs under 0 (is this possible?). What are my best home based business options considering what I’ve laid out here?