My $550k Side Hustle: An Online Business from Idea to Exit
In October, I sold a website.
It wasn’t a 7-figure, never-work-again type of exit, but when the funds were deposited, it was the largest single amount ever to hit one of my accounts.
To make money online, you generally need 3 things:
There will always be exceptions to this rule, like the YouTube celebrities who don’t have their own site, but most of the successful entrepreneurs online (myself included) have figured out those 3 things.
An online business is a great asset; you can work from anywhere and serve people worldwide. Depending on how you have it set up, you can even earn money while you sleep. Ahh that elusive “passive income!”
The location-independent business models you’ll find here include blogging, podcasting, self-publishing, teaching online courses, and more.
If you’re not sure where to start, let me recommend this “Greatest Hits” collection:
In October, I sold a website.
It wasn’t a 7-figure, never-work-again type of exit, but when the funds were deposited, it was the largest single amount ever to hit one of my accounts.
I love stories like Katie’s! In just two years Katie Emery has grown her blog to an average of $6,000 a month in revenue.
The niche? Helping women transition to natural gray hair.
After dying her hair for 25 years, Katie decided to go gray without regret. Still, she had questions about the transition, but couldn’t find the answers she wanted online.
Zero to 55k subscribers and $50k in revenue in 8 months?
That’s exactly what Codie Sanchez did with Contrarian Thinking, her newsletter about investing and entrepreneurship.
Want to get started with an online business but don’t feel like you’re an expert in anything?
Maybe you’ve started a business but you’re struggling to monetize it?
This week I’m joined by Shane Sams of FlippedLifestyle.com. Shane and his wife Jocelyn teach people how to start online businesses and monetize them with a membership model.
$18k in 9 months … from ONE YouTube video?
And that’s without even filming or putting your face on camera!
Jon Corres identifies trending topics on YouTube and produces viral videos to ride that trend. Or at least videos he hopes will hit the algorithm just right.
After sitting in on a free webinar and seeing dozens of people buying a course about urban farming, Nate knew he could also create and sell his own course.
Nate Dodson of MicroGreensFarmer.com began urban farming initially to take greater control over the food he was eating and to combat Crohn’s disease.
Helping people make decisions is a big business!
In fact, these two Side Hustle Show listeners started a website to do just that, and it’s now bringing in $17-20k a month.
Oh, and the project is only a little over a year old.
Build your email list!
Get your first 100, 1,000, 10,000 subscribers.
“The money’s in the list,” right?
That’s the chorus of advice you hear from all the marketing experts.
But what do you send someone after they join your list?
Create a design.
Upload it to a store.
Earn passive royalties whenever it sells.
That’s the passive income dream, and that’s the premise behind the Merch by Amazon and print-on-demand side hustles.
If you want to start an online business, you’re probably going to need to build a website.
But could you shortcut the process by just buying one that’s already working?
In this episode, which is the fourth and final episode of our Showdown series this month, we’re comparing two ways you operate a revenue-generating website; building your own site vs buying an established website.
Free Resources
Blog
Community
$500 Challenge
Personalized Playlists
Side Hustle Quiz
The Fine Print
Terms of Use
Privacy
How We Make Money
CCPA
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accessibility Statement
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.