How Jordan Bown Made $2.4M with Free Courses and Affiliate Marketing

Introduction

Jordan Bown was a 26-year-old who found early success with dropshipping but grew tired of juggling inventory and support. Instead of hunting for the next hot widget, he spent a year crafting an 18-hour, hands-on video course on dropshipping and uploaded it free to YouTube. That move set the stage for a $2.4M affiliate income stream.

Early Days and Breakthrough

After high school in 2016, Jordan struggled with anxiety and direction. Dropshipping gave him structure: he built a Twitter following around streetwear, used that to source products from China and scaled via Facebook ads. By 2017, Simple Selections, his first store, was earning thousands monthly. His confidence grew alongside revenue.

Pivot to Content-Driven Affiliate Marketing

The constant product scramble wore on him. Jordan saw a better path: teach what he knew and link to services his students would need. He chose Shopify as his main affiliate partner (earning $150 per signup), bundled other e-commerce tools, and set out to educate rather than simply sell. His course, The Jordan Bown Show, combined practical walkthroughs with examples from his own stores.

Building Trust and Community

Uploading the long-form course was step one. He supplemented it with YouTube Shorts, Instagram clips, and tweets to funnel viewers back to the deep dive series. Then he launched a private Discord for $100/month, offering live Q&A, case studies, and one-on-one coaching. Students got more than video lessons, they got direct access and problem-solving help.

Results and Revenue

The free course surpassed 2.1 million views and drove a steady stream of affiliate signups. Shopify commissions alone soared to $2.4M in the first year. Jordan’s model shows how giving away expertise can unlock massive affiliate payouts and create a premium upsell funnel, all without holding any stock.

Lessons Learned

His approach highlights the power of: investing in thorough content to build credibility; using bite-size clips to boost reach; mapping a clear funnel from free to paid; and layering a community subscription for recurring income. His willingness to adapt and test new formats kept growth on track. His early struggle was real, he often felt lost.