Successful SEO Business Models

Obviously some of the guys have set your own business as SEO's, work as consultants or free lancers.

Can I ask in the broadest terms, what business model. stratergy did you have in getting the ball rolling?

Did you start of moonlighting and grow from there?
Did you have customers lined up first ?

It is a good idea to prove that you are able to make a good living from advertising and affiliate programs on your own sites before to start to offer your services to the public. Once you get to this point you will learn that it really isn't that hard getting new business, and that it is sometimes nice just to work on your own projects.

If you really good in SEOing and have the touch time and patience.
then don't waste your time with other business.
you can make more money on your own.

Believe it or not, there are other businesses which are more lucrative than the business of SEOing, businesses where u work for yourself and get a sense of personal fulfillment and accomplishment...

personally I'd rather make make money from affilate programs then help anyone else directly with their business websiite

Most people are greedy and uniformed or have terrible ideas on how to make money on the web

affilate programs tend to be a lot more difficult then small client sites, but they can pay great and you don't have to explain anything to anyone when the rankings go down(if they go down)