The REAL Reality About My Passive Earnings Journey

In a world the place everyone else appears to be discovering large success with their on-line entrepreneurial ventures… I’m right here to show the chilly onerous reality about my private expertise.

I subscribe to numerous podcasts, and I nonetheless learn blogs within the ‘web advertising and marketing’ house – and I see the success tales ALL the time. They’re very motivating, certainly – and publications like these are a part of what fuels me and retains me going alone entrepreneurial journey.

However – I’ve obtained to be fully trustworthy right here and inform you the 100% reality. I really feel like an absolute failure on the subject of my makes an attempt to ‘generate profits on-line.’ I’ve been at this factor for over a decade, and at present, my on-line passive revenue is just about ZERO!

A Few Successes (that didn’t final)

To be clear, I’ve had some success alongside the way in which. I began this weblog in 2012, just about as a method to doc my journey to passive revenue riches. On the time, I used to be targeted on running a blog and area of interest web sites.

Key phrase Analysis Packages

As I dug into methods for fulfillment with content material web sites, I discovered a factor or two about key phrase analysis for Website positioning. Considered one of my greatest profitable ventures round that point got here in 2013 after I began providing a key phrase analysis service. I used to be creating key phrase analysis packages based mostly on varied (random) niches, and other people had been shopping for these key phrase analysis packages from me!

Throughout that yr (2013), I had one among my greatest months ever so far as revenue earned on-line. I introduced in a bit of over $3,000 in a single month, which nonetheless stands (10 years later!) as the most effective months I’ve ever had.

The issue was… that revenue was not passive and was additionally not sustainable. I wanted to spend time creating the key phrase analysis packages. If I didn’t create, there was nothing to promote. That enterprise quickly dissipated and withered away.

Area of interest Web sites

I attempted my hand at many alternative area of interest web sites – none of which I’d take into account to be large success tales. All of my area of interest web site efforts targeted on Website positioning for site visitors, and a lot of the subjects I selected to construct web sites round had been based mostly solely on my evaluation of the key phrase analysis knowledge and whether or not I believed I might get “free” site visitors from search engines like google (principally Google).

I nonetheless personal my very first area of interest web site, which is a reasonably easy web site that teaches individuals the way to use borax to kill ants. I dominated the search outcomes web page for a number of years for search phrases associated to utilizing borax to kill ants. Throughout peak summer season months, I used to be getting hundreds of tourists monthly and incomes just a few hundred {dollars} every month. However, over time, Google algorithms modified, and site visitors to the positioning dropped off, as did its earnings.

The story is just about the identical for nearly each area of interest web site that I’ve tried. I get excited and work on it for some time – however by no means actually see it via to large success. Google adjustments the algorithm. Site visitors takes a success. Matt loses motivation and strikes on to one thing else.

I did have one area of interest web site that was considerably of a hit. For a few years, I labored on a web site based mostly across the subject of important oils. I ended up promoting that web site for $11,000 in 2017. My essential drawback with that area of interest was that I actually had no curiosity or ardour for important oils. I even used a faux (feminine) persona to construct out that web site’s viewers and e mail record! Lol.

AmaLinks Professional (WordPress Plugin)

In 2018, I co-founded AmaLinks Professional – a WordPress plugin for Amazon associates. I teamed up with a WordPress developer, and we constructed out what we thought was one of the best rattling Amazon affiliate WordPress plugin that ever existed.

We had been actually pleased with the product that we created, and it was promoting moderately effectively – on a yearly recurring cost mannequin. After bills, we had been capable of give ourselves revenue payouts most months – however not each month. The cash was okay… however nowhere close to life-changing like we had been hoping for.

In June of 2022, we offered AmaLinks Professional for an undisclosed quantity (low 6-figures) as a result of each of us had circumstances in our private lives that didn’t permit us to proceed to serve our AmaLinks Professional clients in addition to we might have preferred.

The low 6-figure payout that we break up 50/50, was good – however once more, nowhere close to as life-changing as we had hoped. That chapter of our web advertising and marketing journey, as a partnership that constructed out a candy software program firm, had come to an finish.

It’s the Economic system, Silly!

2022 was going nice for me on a private degree so far as revenue. The economic system had not but come to a halt, and I used to be working 11 to 12 hours a day, 5 days every week, driving a truck for FedEx. I used to be on monitor to have my first ever 6-figure yr simply from my W-2 revenue from FedEx, along with the payout I obtained after I offered AmaLinks Professional.

However then, the economic system took a dump in mid to late summer season of 2022. How do I do know? As a result of I’m a trucker and I transfer freight, and ranges of freight motion are probably the most clear-cut indicators of how effectively or how dangerous the economic system is doing.

When the economic system is booming – extra freight is being moved. When the economic system slows down, much less freight strikes throughout the nation. I’ve been within the freight enterprise for over 20 years and this indicator has held true each single time.

So… because the economic system slowed, so did my hours at FedEx. In September of 2022, I began a brand new schedule at FedEx the place I work solely 4 days pers week. I nonetheless work 10 to 12 hours per day – however now I solely work 4 days as a substitute of 5. This implies WAY much less day job revenue (dropping 10 to 12 hours of extra time every week), however one full day of freedom to work on one other on-line enterprise to attempt to create these elusive riches that I’ve by no means been capable of obtain.

Again to Sq. One – Running a blog

With all of my additional time and nothing else occurring so far as web revenue… I made a decision to go all in once more with this weblog – The Dumb Passive Earnings weblog. I had some new key phrase analysis strategies and methods. I had an excellent (and costly) author, and I nonetheless had my VA, who was keen to maintain working for me.

I had a renewed angle, and I used to be extraordinarily motivated to make it work. I began publishing content material often on this weblog once more – however this time, it was all Website positioning-focused content material on basic ‘passive revenue’ subjects.

The plan was the identical as all the time: to publish a lot of content material, get site visitors from Google, construct out my viewers, and begin increase my e mail record once more. Ultimately, I’d begin to earn cash from adverts on the web site and from selling affiliate merchandise.

Then, in January of 2023, I heard this man named Scott DeLong on a podcast, and I seemed him up. He began a problem the place he set a objective of turning $20k into $500k inside one yr. He had some large successes up to now, and he knew he might repeat his success with a brand-new enterprise. That motivated me much more, which led me to my very own problem…

$5k/month by Labor Day 2023

On January 25, 2023 – I printed this tweet, the place I declared my very own problem to get my web revenue as much as $5k/month by Labor Day 2023 (September 4th, 2023). I learn ALL of Scott’s emails inside just some days, and I made a decision to strive his technique. I began implementing my very own plan to construct out the viewers for Dumb Passive Earnings by way of a Fb web page and utilizing FB adverts to get individuals to ‘Like’ the web page.

I used to be making an attempt to observe Scott’s methods to a tee. My VA was serving to me publish each day content material on the FB web page, and I used to be doing my greatest to maintain the viewers engaged. There was only one drawback… Fb wasn’t feeding my content material to my viewers. I spent $325 on FB adverts to construct my web page followers as much as over 2,000, however hardly anyone was seeing the each day content material that I used to be publishing as a result of method that the FB algorithms are arrange.

In different phrases… I used to be spending cash to develop my FB web page following, however that cash spent was not translating into weblog guests or e mail subscribers in any respect.

I additionally began publishing a each day e mail e-newsletter that featured some fairly cool content material geared towards people who find themselves making an attempt to create passive revenue and individuals who simply usually wish to turn out to be wealthy. I used to be sending the each day e mail e-newsletter to my current record of subscribers for this weblog – however no new subscribers had been signing up. Moreover – no person was shopping for any of the affiliate merchandise that I used to be selling.

I wasn’t rising my viewers and I wasn’t incomes any cash. I didn’t keep it up for very lengthy – and I shortly misplaced motivation. I didn’t see a transparent path ahead to incomes vital cash with the Dumb Passive Earnings weblog.

To be trustworthy… I wasn’t any individual who was incomes any passive revenue in any respect – so why ought to anyone take note of me as I attempt to present others the way to earn passive revenue? I used to be a failure and I felt like a fraud. So I simply stop.

The toughest factor I’ve needed to do

I needed to fireplace my digital assistant (VA), who had been working for me nearly for the reason that very starting. I believe I initially employed him in 2012, and he had been phenomenal to work with. I additionally needed to fireplace my author. I merely couldn’t afford to maintain paying individuals to work for me after I wasn’t incomes any cash on-line.

I ended publishing content material on the FB web page. I ended the each day e mail e-newsletter. And, I ended publishing content material on the weblog.

I nonetheless have this objective to be incomes no less than $5k/month on-line by Labor Day 2023. It’s a lingering objective. It’s on the market. I simply don’t have something going proper now that can get me there.

I Can Nonetheless Make Cash On-line (not passive although)

One cool factor about familiarizing myself with WordPress and constructing all of those web sites through the years is that I’ve a talent that individuals are keen to pay cash for. I can construct web sites!

I’ve constructed out just a few consumer web sites over the previous a number of years – just about only for some household and buddies who run native small companies, and so they wanted web sites. I didn’t cost them very a lot, however they do pay me yearly to maintain their web sites up to date and operating.

Extra lately, I obtained attached with one other native medium-sized enterprise that wanted an internet site. I charged a greater than honest worth to construct a reasonably easy web site for this enterprise, and they’re as comfortable as might be!

However once more… constructing web sites for native small companies is NOT passive revenue, and it’s not going to get me to $5k/month in sustainable on-line revenue by Labor Day 2023.

What About an E-commerce Retailer…?

Oh! I nearly forgot to say the e-commerce retailer that I began with my son – Operating It™ Disc Golf. We obtained actually enthusiastic about beginning our personal disc golf model as a result of we’re obsessive about the game of disc golf. However… once more, I don’t see a transparent path to incomes $5k/month promoting print-on-demand clothes.

Disc golf is one thing we’re enthusiastic about, and we’re wanting to share our model with different disc golfers. Nonetheless, revenue margins for bodily merchandise are a limiting issue, and rising our model consciousness and buyer base is proving to be a gradual and tedious course of.

Because it seems… we’re going to maintain the disc golf gear e-commerce factor going as kind of a enjoyable undertaking. In reality, my son Ethan is at present engaged on beginning his personal disc golf YouTube channel and he plans to advertise our model that method. However… it’s not the factor that’s going to get previous dad (me) to $5k/month by Labor Day 2023.

The Path to $5k/month by Labor Day 2023

I solely have simply over 4 months to get there, and I’m just about ranging from scratch at this level. I’ve a lot of expertise and tons of various expertise associated to web advertising and marketing.

So… what the hell am I going to do? How on the earth am I going to hit this objective in simply over 4 months, ranging from sq. one?

Website positioning is just not my pal

Website positioning won’t be a think about my technique in any respect. For one… I sort of suck at Website positioning. I don’t have time for Website positioning. And Website positioning merely doesn’t stick. In any case these years, it’s honest to say that I’m fed up with Website positioning and I don’t actually need something to do with it for no matter my subsequent undertaking can be.

I have to personal my viewers

100% – I MUST personal my viewers. Which means… I can’t depend on different platforms to develop and handle my viewers. I’m not going to attempt to develop a large social media following. That may be a part of it – however my #1 objective can be accumulating e mail addresses.

I must pay cash to construct my e mail record

Since I received’t be utilizing Website positioning and I would like this to occur shortly – I do know that I might want to pay to construct my e mail record. This can possible be with Fb adverts. I don’t love this technique with out realizing 100% for certain that I will flip subscribers into clients. However, that is one thing I must determine earlier than I spend an excessive amount of cash on FB adverts.

So long as I can show to myself that I can get a constructive ROI on FB advert spending in a comparatively quick period of time – then I’ll haven’t any drawback spending cash on FB adverts.

$5k/month – you do the maths…

I’ve been listening to the Flipped Life-style podcast lately, the place they typically point out this straightforward math… All it is advisable to do is locate 100 individuals to pay you $50 monthly to hit $5,000 monthly.

I’m considering just a bit bit in another way. What if I can discover 1,000 individuals to pay me simply $5/month! Similar end result with a decrease month-to-month cost threshold for subscribers – I simply want to search out extra of them, which ought to be straightforward with FB adverts.

Who’s going to pay me, and for what?

Effectively… that’s the half I’m nonetheless making an attempt to determine. I’m possible transferring in direction of some kind of membership or Patreon fashion group. With Website positioning slowly going away to make method for who is aware of what is going to occur with synthetic intelligence (AI) – constructing a group goes to be key. A group alone platform that I’ve full management over.

Pat Flynn, over at Sensible Passive Earnings, has been speaking concerning the significance of group fairly a bit recently. I’ve been educating myself by listening to a few of his podcasts, along with the Flipped Life-style content material that I’ve been digging into.

I do have a number of nice concepts for the course I’m planning to go. I’m going to save lots of the specifics for my subsequent replace. The area of interest I select continues to be undecided at this level… however it’s undoubtedly going to be one thing evergreen that I’ve a ardour or curiosity in.

As I discovered from the Flipped Life-style individuals… it’s going to have one thing to do with my God-given abilities or experiences that I’ve had in life. I’ve data and data that I can share and that I can construct a group round.

The subject is NOT going to be passive revenue and the viewers won’t be this weblog viewers. However, I do plan to maintain publishing updates like this on The Dumb Passive Earnings weblog as a result of I get pleasure from writing these kinds of replace posts. In any case – posts like this are how and WHY I initially began this weblog. So… have a look at it like I’m going again to my roots.

Want me luck! I’ll see you within the subsequent replace publish the place I plan to disclose the area of interest that I can be constructing my new enterprise round.