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I think part of the problem, specifically with those wanting to launch their own sites are blinded by many of the larger programs operations and successes.
Yes, these large programs have budgets that newer site owners may not be able to match, but many of their budgets are spent on attracting affiliates and in-house sales, not on development costs.
I worked with a very large program (at the time) a few years back on some development stuff and the costs that were being thrown around the boards at the time were nowhere near what they spent on a site design, content shoots, hosting, etc...
For anyone to say that you have to spend $X to launch a site is laughable, because it can, has and will be done for costs ranging from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars and everywhere in between and above, just because Joe Schmo Webmaster spent $10k getting their paysite up and running, does not mean everyone else needs to spend the same amount.
Costs vary greatly from locale to locale, what someone in NY can pay for a custom shoot, someone in BumFuck Alabama is going to pay a lot less for, because they get to dictate the market pricing, not the abundance of producers and talent.
As mentioned above, running a successful business, online or no, is dependent on overheads, if you go into it spending thousands of dollars with no real game-plan, you're setting yourself up to fail, whether you are a newbie or a seasoned pro.
A better question to answer in this thread might be:
How many established webmasters have launched affiliate programs in the last 5 years that have gone tits up?
I can think of a lot right off the top of my head.
Is that because they didn't spend the money? Because they weren't known in the industry? Because they didn't have the contacts? Or; was it because they had no clue about the basic principles of business and just went with perception of what is needed on the message boards?
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