Online Business

Last year, I spoke with Tony Lysandrides on episode 565 where we talked about YouTube automation. Back then, the process was much more manual.

The typical workflow was something like this: coming up with viral video ideas, hiring scriptwriters, voice artists, and video editors to create content.

The aim was to hit the viral YouTube lottery by planting a bunch of digital assets and hoping enough would hit big to turn a profit on ad income.

But what a difference a year makes.

Now, we’ve got AI tools to assist in just about every step of that production process, and Tony’s been on the front lines of these changes.

So I wanted to have him back on to find out, first of all, is that a good thing for content creators, YouTubers, and side hustlers? And how much can you make in this new AI-powered YouTube landscape?

You know those endless hours you’ve spent perfecting your Fortnite skills or learning how to defeat a Guardian in Zelda games?

There is a chance those skills aren’t just good for bragging rights or racking up likes on Twitch.

In fact, it is possible to make money out of these games without being an online streamer.

I’m talking about teaching video games online, and the demand for these is exploding.

In this “Where Are They Now?” series, we have once again Devyn Ricks from missdevyn.com share how much her online gaming teaching business has grown over the last years since we talked in Episode 499.

When Devyn and I connected a couple of years ago, she was making around $4,000/month.

Today, her business has more than doubled, earning her the title of “six-figure video game mom.” She has since expanded her team to 14 teachers.

If you’ve ever thought about traveling the world while getting paid (and mingling with the rich and famous on the side), Hugo Ortega’s side hustle story may appeal to you.

After spending 9 years working as a yacht crew member and captain, traveling to over 60 countries, the former engineer decided to turn his niche career experience into a fast-growing online course business—Superyacht Sunday School.

Now, it has grown into a full-time business earning $12K/month.

Liz Wilcox found herself at a crossroads.

With a growing email list of beginners wanting to learn about email marketing, she knew she wanted to find a way to step away from client work within a couple of years.

She had just signed a huge copywriting contract worth $20,000… her biggest one yet. But instead of excitement, all she felt was dread about the massive project she now had to take on.

And as a single parent, she knew the importance of creating a business that would support her lifestyle and allow her to be present for her family.

This is where the idea of “low cost = low responsibility” appealed to her, as it would allow her to serve her audience at LizWilcox.com while maintaining a manageable workload.

So Liz had the idea to create her flagship offer The Email Marketing Membership – a set of done-for-you email newsletter templates that members could access for just $9 per month.

Miao Rios was listening to the Side Hustle Show episode “Rank and Rent” with Luke Van Der Veer about creating niche websites to rank them on Google, then renting out the leads to local service businesses.

She decided to give it a try, and just 3 months after creating her first site, she got an unexpected call.

It was from the Ministry of Education in New Zealand, inviting her new website business to bid on a large demolition project for a local school.

Despite having no actual demolition capabilities, Miao took a chance responding to the tender.

She partnered with a qualified local contractor, got help polishing up the bidding documents, and ended up winning the $5,000 job!

In this episode, you’ll learn how Miao of blackbirdseo.com builds and ranks her sites to earn $1000-$1500 per month passively. More importantly, you’ll get a blueprint to find profitable niches and service providers to create your own side income stream.