When I was 18 or 19, I knocked doors on a traveling sales crew and sold magazines across the US (hahaha I know) for about 1 year. Lately, I can’t help but think how much magazine sales is like affiliate marketing. If door-to-door sales was marketing 1.0, then the affiliate model is marketing 2.0.
The set up is virtually the same.
#1) The Affiliate
Armed with a sales pitch, the affiliate does all the heavy lifting and is the one actually out there making everything happen, just like the door-to-door magazine guy.
#2) The Affiliate Manager
The affiliate manager is like the one who drives the van, and reports back to the network. Both the affiliate manager and van driver are incentivized to get their affiliates to do well with the offers.
#3) The CPA Network
The CPA network collects all the money and distributes it, much like the sketchy guy sitting in the back of a cheap hotel room counting all the cash his affiliates fetched that day (yes this is really how it goes down).
#4) The Traffic Source
Every new apartment complex or neighborhood is a new place to get traffic. Kicked off Google? Just go to the next one or sneak back in.
Biggest difference? Affiliate marketing pays better 
Man, I love this industry