Hey guys. If you’ve been following the blog for some time now, you know this type of posts is something I’ve never done before.
Well, here we go.
Of course, the credit goes to one of my favorite bloggers and entrepreneurs Pat Flynn, whose famous for quite many things, but also his detailed monthly reports. And while he’s in the 6-digits each and every month, that’s not where I – and most of you – need to be.
It’s no coincidence that I produce content mainly for beginners. I’ve read and experienced and learned from trial and error a ton of stuff over the years. And an approach I praise but which I haven’t started doing so far, is documenting the journey.
Something Gary Vee suggests everyone doing something big online should be following.
That means sharing exactly what you’re doing and going through. It’s the best way to build your personal brand and show authenticity, and it’s the type of content people love. It means revealing the numbers, the failures, the hurdles.
The real picture isn’t as good as it looks from afar.
It’s one thing when people find out I work whenever I want to, and it’s completely another when they stay at my place and see me wake up early or stay late on the laptop being focused like they’ve never been in their life.
It’s one thing to look at where I live and how I travel and all the things I’m able to do, it’s another when you see the numbers and realize I prioritize and say ‘no’ to tens of other tempting things.
Also, there’s the thrill of not having a boss, to wait for a salary, or to be told what to do when working. But there’s also the uncertainty, the fear that you won’t meet your budget next month, that you may not find new clients, and that the new business idea you’re investing tens of hours in weekly, might lead to nothing.
I love every single one of these aspects of working for yourself, though 🙂
And while I’m not making big numbers, I do have the freedom and independence which looked like a distant dream just 2 or so years ago.
So, what’s my deal?
I was stuck back in my home country, Bulgaria. Completing a degree in Economics, specializing in Marketing.
I didn’t like formal education at all. I didn’t like the environment.
But was constantly working on some side projects, reading about the lifestyle of self-employed people that I admired, and the so-called digital nomads.
Now, 2 years later, (although the whole process began a decade ago when I turned to personal development, but now we’re covering the money and action part), I’m living in my favorite country in Europe – the Netherlands. What’s more, in one of the best cities (and most expensive ones) here – Amsterdam.
I run every single aspect of my work, which is a real online business, although the money won’t mean much to most people who read my income reports. But I know I raised the standard of my lifestyle, and have every element the way I want it. Nothing less, nothing more.
Constantly working on new things, of course. Each of which can turn into something big.
I’m also traveling. Spent a few weeks in Thailand this winter. And visit friends in different places in Europe.
I structure my day the way I want to. Wake up when I’ve found out works best, dedicate the next 4 hours to work, then do others stuff I enjoy the second part of the day. Then, in the evening, I do some administrative stuff related to work, read, research, or else.
That’s in the casual period, of course. There’s also the one that’s solely for work. It’s usually after a big trip or break, or a phase of being less responsible. Which is followed by a period of hustling every day, all day, to get back on track.
So, after checking out Pat Flynn’s report for last month, I got encouraged once again. Reminded myself that my work matters and there’s so much more to achieve, but also a lot to share.
By creating a monthly reports section on the blog, I’m getting out of my comfort zone once again.
It’s good for me, and I believe it’s good for you.
The content will be for members only, as it’s as personal as it can get.
I’ll be optimizing these every next month, and I’m beginning with how things were before I moved to Amsterdam, went to Thailand, or had higher expenses.
This and the next few reports are from when the business first took off. It was exhilarating to finally see all the hard work pay off.
I was back at home, not sure if I could ever move to the country I wanted to, or get out of there somehow. But what made the difference was that every single morning, no matter what, I woke up and got to the laptop. If there wasn’t any project to work on that was for profits directly, then I’d go research a new way to make money online and take action upon in.
There are so many things to share that have to do with the amount of money I was and am making now, but think it’s best if I share a bit in the beginning of each report. This way it won’t be overwhelming.
So, thanks for the patience with the long intro, and here’s what I made back in November 2015:
Note: I’m including some business costs as well. That’s the structure of my income reports for now. Will definitely be making changes with each next post.
November 2015
Date Product/Service Where/How Price
03.11 Sponsored post – 15
03.11 Sponsored post – 15
04.11 Freelancing UpWork 57
10.11 USB mic
for podcasting eBay 32 (expense)
17.11 Freelancing UpWork 160
19.11 Books LRS 2
21.11 Audio Audio Jungle 12 (expense)
22.11 Freelancing UpWork 19
23.11 Freelancing Freelancer 80
26.11 Articles Client 20
26.11 Freelancing Freelancer 155
26.11 Freelancing UpWork, JobHatch 60
27.11 Book eBay 15 (expense)
Total:
Earned: 583
Spent: 59 (mic, audio, book)
Revenue: $524
Summary
Money earned from sponsored posts: $30
Sponsored posts are a big thing for the blog and me. Will share a lot more on the topic in future income reports. So stay tuned.
Some say making money blogging is one of the hardest things. Yes. And I’m doing that.
While niche and affiliate marketing are some of the easiest ways to monetize your new skills (you can learn it all by yourself), but it’s something I struggle with more.
The amount of money earned from sponsored posts is quite small here, but I think you’ll like it in the latest reports.
Although the monthly revenue isn’t impressive for those chasing checks, it shows that I’ve found ways to make money doing exactly what I want to, and don’t have to answer to anyone.
Money earned from freelance writing (from online platforms only): $531
I’m a writer before anything else. And freelance writing on platforms like UpWork, Guru and Freelancer is where my very first dollars came from back in the days. So I’ll always be grateful for that.
Now, I do less client work and more for my projects.
I mention this amount is from online platforms only, simply because over time you start avoiding these as there’s too much law quality competition there, it’s hard to stand out, and people value time over quality of the content. Also their fees are high.
Luckily, because personal branding happens over the years as you keep appearing on as many platforms as possible and working on your own projects, you start being found by clients via email and they come ask you to do some freelance work for them 🙂
Final notes
That’s it for the very first income report I’m sharing.
Phew!
Hope it helps.
Look out for the next one. Might be posting one weekly now as I’ve got old ones to show to you, before I analyze my current profits.