Different ways for different guys... I know a couple of guys that have made over 4 million over the past 5 years offering services, one that makes an easy 35K a month from his websites with adsense/Amazon/eBay/CJ/CPA, others that are huge affiliates promoting CPA offers, some who kill it with CB by selling products... there are just too many ways to make a solid living in IM.
Find a method that fits your business model, test it until your hands bleed, build it out and scale it and then automate it... THEN find a different method and follow those steps.
Build a variety of different methods that fit under business models that are known to work and you have a recurring income that is just about as pure as the driven snow.
BUT, you need to start with one method and turn that into a 30 minute a day, 3K a month revenue stream first before you start looking at, and reaching for, the stars.
It is hard work and those that say don't work hard, work smart, are missing the mark in a lot of areas.
Work smart, Absolutely, but work hard first so you can work smart.