Many product owners out there manage their own affiliate programs while others hire an affiliate manager to take care of that for them. Every situation is different, yet whether or not a product owner should manage their own affiliate program is always a hot topic. Every situation is different, and there really is no answer set in stone. Here are some of the reasons why you might want to consider managing your own affiliate program, so that you can decide what the best idea is for your program. Having an affiliate program in place can certainly bring in the amount of product sales that you would love to see. You will have more work to do however as product owner, because affiliates require certain tools and resources in order to be productive and recruit new affiliates. In the beginning, it is pretty easy to manage your own affiliate program. If the program is new and you can dedicate a few hours to it every week, you might easily be able to manage your very own affiliate program. There are many programs out there that make setting up an affiliate program a think of ease. Answer a few questions and set up an account, and it is not difficult to get an affiliate program set up that will work. It will give you links to promote your program and help give you the tools you need to manage it. If you want to gain that experience, having and managing your own affiliate program is a great way to get some experience. Down the line, if your program grows and you have too much to deal with you can then make the decision as to whether or not it is smart to hire someone to manage your affiliate program for you and take care of the various tasks. What about the days when your affiliate manager is unable to work? This is why managing it yourself at some point or another will have been useful, as you will know what to do if it becomes necessary to step in and take charge of the program. When your manager is unable to do things, you will be able to. You are the only person that will be able to make the right decision for your program. IT is your product and when you are getting started, you may be on a bit tighter of a budget than you have anticipated. If you have the time and resources, it may be best to manage your own affiliate program at some point or another just so you have some idea as to how things work. As time passes, more money will come to set tasks off to other individuals to be done, so that you can focus on new products and programs for them to work with. Have your eyes set on a good affiliate manager and you will be happy with the returns that you are able to obtain.