The first key to a successful affiliate program is that it be built around a proven product and excellent customer support. If you dont have a great product that fills a need in the market, then you are simply wasting your time.However, dont think that you have to do everything yourself. This is one of the number one mistakes made by small businesses and one of the biggest reasons for their failure. To be successful online and offline, you must have a business that has systems in place that allow it to expand and grow.You are responsible for expanding your business, not working in it. If you are spending a couple of hours every day responding to customer support issues, then you are simply wasting time. All of this work should be given to someone else so that you can focus on growing your business.