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23y/o, Chronically Ill, Want to Shoot Higher

Hopeful

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Hey, everyone!

I'm a 23-year-old woman who just graduated from college in December. I've been living with a family member rent-free since then, but next month I'm moving out on my own. I've been doing freelance writing/editing, but not making enough to support myself, so I'll be taking at least one part-time job to supplement. Why am I choosing to scrape by on freelancing and part-time work instead of getting a "real job?" Because I have a chronic illness that prevents me from working a regular 9 to 5.

I had resigned myself to a life of penny-pinching because of my illness. But a few days ago, a guy I know mentioned a book called The Millionaire Fastlane , and said it changed his life. I got a free Audible subscription that day and listened to the book.

It gave me hope. (Hence my username. Haha.) Even when I work from home, my unpredictable flare-ups can severely curtail my productivity. Building a passive income source would give me security and flexibility. So, that is my "why"—I want to thrive, despite being sick. I don't want to make myself even sicker with stress because I have to push myself to make ends meet. I don't want to worry about money for medication and doctor's appointments.

My problem is, I don't know where to start. I know of a niche with a need, but I don't really know how to monetize that need. Should I post about that in this thread, or start a new thread tagged "Ideas?"

edit: Oops, forgot to tag @MJ DeMarco . Thank you for sharing what you've learned and for creating this forum too.
 
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Hopeful

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The niche is this odd intersection of Seasonal Color Analysis, Personal Styling, Body Shape Typing, and Personality Typing. I don't think there's a name for it, but there's a group of women who are fiercely dedicated to finding out their style type in all these areas so they can dress in a more flattering way. The theory is that the more you dress to fit your coloring, personality, and body, the more beautiful you will look.

The problem? The information is scattered all over the web. And personal stylists, the purported experts in these diverse theories, are very expensive. Plus, every stylist concentrates on a different aspect of styling. Some concentrate only on color analysis, some only on personality, etc.

I have lurked on many a forum thread where women do mental gymnastics to find out what types they are in these various typing systems. It can take them months, sometimes years. It can take months just to understand all the information out there.

The need is for a simple way for women to understand and apply all this information.

I was very interested—okay, maybe obsessed—with understanding all these theories. After about 6 months, I came up with a simple system that connected all of them. (I won't go into the boring details, but it relies on a cartesian grid, and it's stupidly simple.)

I have been thinking of creating a website that not only aggregates information about all these style theories, but simplifies them. But I don't know how to monetize it. Web course? Book? Sell advertising or charge a finder's fee to personal stylists? I'm stuck.
 

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If it's simple and just information to be shared, then people will be drawn to whoever gives it away for free on youtube. It's a small sub-category that a single beauty vlogger could explain in a single video and make your course or book obsolete.

Information is shared in blog posts and youtube videos for the most part. I would not monetize this part. I would make free content about it that attracts an audience on youtube, instagram and blog posts and have a brand based around the general larger category of beauty or fashion. Then, create a private program where women can pay you $86 a month to have you as their personal stylist who works with them for 6 month plans at a time who helps them with this and many other things related to fashion and beauty. You could take on 30 customers which isn't that many if you know how to provide valuable content and you'd be bringing in some decent supplemental income and doing it remotely. You could live anywhere and do that. Much better than trying to make a quick buck charging people $10 for something they really should have for free.
 
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Hopeful

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Yeah... my gut was telling me that putting the information behind a paywall wasn't right. I guess I hadn't thought about being a stylist myself, since there are already so many. But if I set myself apart by having top-notch free content, then that will set me apart—is that what you're saying?
 

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It not right or wrong its just not profitable. And you said it yourself "stylists are expensive". If there were too many they would be cheap.

This is all assuming you would enjoy doing this. This type of online business can take a while to build up. If you want quicker money you could create a product and use influencer marketing to get sales rather quickly. But what you initially suggested would be a good piece of content instead of being sold.
 

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Hey, everyone!

I'm a 23-year-old woman who just graduated from college in December. I've been living with a family member rent-free since then, but next month I'm moving out on my own. I've been doing freelance writing/editing, but not making enough to support myself, so I'll be taking at least one part-time job to supplement. Why am I choosing to scrape by on freelancing and part-time work instead of getting a "real job?" Because I have a chronic illness that prevents me from working a regular 9 to 5.

I had resigned myself to a life of penny-pinching because of my illness. But a few days ago, a guy I know mentioned a book called The Millionaire Fastlane , and said it changed his life. I got a free Audible subscription that day and listened to the book.

It gave me hope. (Hence my username. Haha.) Even when I work from home, my unpredictable flare-ups can severely curtail my productivity. Building a passive income source would give me security and flexibility. So, that is my "why"—I want to thrive, despite being sick. I don't want to make myself even sicker with stress because I have to push myself to make ends meet. I don't want to worry about money for medication and doctor's appointments.

My problem is, I don't know where to start. I know of a niche with a need, but I don't really know how to monetize that need. Should I post about that in this thread, or start a new thread tagged "Ideas?"

edit: Oops, forgot to tag @MJ DeMarco . Thank you for sharing what you've learned and for creating this forum too.
Welcome. One of my client is a swimming instructor who has epilepsy. I know that it is not easy to run a business with a chronic health issue.

You do write really well. If you can write an education blog really well it can drive traffic and you can make money from advertisement. I am in finance and I know famous bloggers (in Singapore) who make a living creating contents on how to save money and they do reviews on financial products. Millennials love being educated and receive free tips to make them wiser.
 
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Hopeful

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It not right or wrong its just not profitable. And you said it yourself "stylists are expensive". If there were too many they would be cheap.

This is all assuming you would enjoy doing this. This type of online business can take a while to build up. If you want quicker money you could create a product and use influencer marketing to get sales rather quickly. But what you initially suggested would be a good piece of content instead of being sold.

Hey, that's a good point about stylists being expensive! Haha.

I would enjoy the personal styling. I would also like to create a product, though, because my main problem is that I have unpredictable symptom flare-ups that can keep me from working for two, three days at a time...
 

Hopeful

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Welcome. One of my client is a swimming instructor who has epilepsy. I know that it is not easy to run a business with a chronic health issue.

You do write really well. If you can write an education blog really well it can drive traffic and you can make money from advertisement. I am in finance and I know famous bloggers (in Singapore) who make a living creating contents on how to save money and they do reviews on financial products. Millennials love being educated and receive free tips to make them wiser.

Wow, good for your client. That sounds like a challenge!

Thank you! I never understood how bloggers can actually make good money. Before replying to you, I read these threads to get some more context.



Anyway, now that I am decently educated:

Do most of the bloggers you know make their money through sponsorships?
 

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Welcome to the forum, @Hopeful !

Sounds like you have something special there.

A couple of thoughts...
1) It's not easy to make money blogging anymore. Not impossible, but not like it was.

2) If you build and attract an audience by providing valuable content (in whatever format), there will be multiple ways to monetize that.

3) Have you encountered Jon Morrow? He's someone who succeeded in building a livelihood through his writing despite an incurable illness. Might be a dose of inspiration for you as well as some solid advice on how to make it work.

4) I would encourage you to think bigger. Could you become the go-to, #1 person on the internet or your topic, thanks to the system you developed? Can you become the foremost authority on how people can meet this need? Shoot for the stars!
 
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Hopeful

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Welcome to the forum, @Hopeful !

Sounds like you have something special there.

A couple of thoughts...
1) It's not easy to make money blogging anymore. Not impossible, but not like it was.

2) If you build and attract an audience by providing valuable content (in whatever format), there will be multiple ways to monetize that.

3) Have you encountered Jon Morrow? He's someone who succeeded in building a livelihood through his writing despite an incurable illness. Might be a dose of inspiration for you as well as some solid advice on how to make it work.

4) I would encourage you to think bigger. Could you become the go-to, #1 person on the internet or your topic, thanks to the system you developed? Can you become the foremost authority on how people can meet this need? Shoot for the stars!

Thanks for the warm welcome!

1) Hm, okay.

2) Could you give some examples, please? I'm pretty new to all this. Do you mean like a course or a book?

3) I hadn't, but I looked him up! Amazing story. This was my favorite quote from him: "The people we think of as heroes don’t have a mystical ability to transcend fear. To them, the alternative to taking action is simply unacceptable. They do what needs to be done, not because they want to, but because they feel there is no other choice."

4) I think I probably could. I couldn't become the foremost authority on any particular theory, but I could become the #1 person on combining and applying all of them. So, going back to your first point... even though blogging isn't profitable, it could be a way to build my authority, right? And get higher in the search rankings?
 

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Hiya @Hopeful

Welcome to the forum. At the outset first know with absolute certainty that you can make a very large sum of money working only a few hours online. It is possible and many people have done it. But there's a lot of work involved upfront. I work only about 3 hours / day freelancing and make what would be a full time salary even in the US. So don't fall to excuses.

There are multiple things you could do, but let me suggest to you the best in your situation. Earning solely from Blogging and relying on advertisement / affiliate sales requires a tremendous amount of hard work for a very long time. I would say it would take a couple of years of generating content regularly (blogs / videos) to actually get to a place where Blogging would just sustain you.

The styling concept you mentioned upfront was really interesting. I would suggest you build a course around it. If you can do this right, in about 6-8 months of regular working, you could start generating decent sales. Approximately, the steps would be:

  1. Create a Blog around styling specifically with the concepts you mentioned. odd intersection of Seasonal Color Analysis, Personal Styling, Body Shape Typing, and Personality Typing.
  2. Throw in some good quality posts about general styling and the likes. In total let's say you should have at least about 10 posts.
  3. Create a few free videos around the styling color concepts. I would say at least 3.
  4. Now create a video course aimed at absolute beginners which can take them from not knowing anything about what styling and colors etc etc (ME!) to them being able to do this confidently. Write down very clearly WHO your ideal customer is. Their hopes, dreams and fears!
  5. This video course should have at least 4 modules with 3-4 videos in each module of about 30 minutes to 90 mins (or at max 120 mins)
  6. Learn about Adwords from @Andy Black 's adwords course. Learn Copywriting from @Lex DeVille
  7. Learn about Facebook Advertising.
  8. Do Forum posting in your niche, guest posting, genuinely provide value and help people.
  9. Drive traffic to your Blog with the above, build an email list. Learn about AutoResponders and email marketing.
  10. Sell your course for at least $49. Research other beauty and styling courses to see how much they charge.
The above all can be done in 6-8 months, working for 4-6 hours per day. Within a year if you are irregular but still focused. You would need some money for Advertising. If you are totally broke, you can hit up influencers on Instagram, make friends online and ask people to recommend your course. Remember your course has to be good.

Read this thread -> GOLD! - A physicist's guide to learning hard things

Earning money is not difficult, keeping yourself disciplined is. Don't resign ever in life to anything. Not money, not disease, not time. You only lose when you give up. And All the Best.
 

socaldude

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welcome to the forum. sorry to hear about your health problems. we are here to help in any way we can.;)
 
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Jeff Noel

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Do most of the bloggers you know make their money through sponsorships?
Hi Hopeful,

My girlfriend has been running a blog for over 5 years, and I would rather consider it as a marketing channel. People get hooked by all the free, high quality content that gives them value. Once they like your stuff, they'll most likely subscribe to your newsletter... and your blog posts most likely will contain link to your products/services (This seems like it needs to be defined... find a real need these women have, and provide value !).

Getting notorious on one platform gives you leverage to extend on others: Instagram, Facebook Pages, etc. The goal is to become omiscient to the user. Then, each different marketing channel can be used to advertize your brand new product/service, and with all the value you already provided for free, people will buy with confidence.

One thing to remember is that you're not the first blog out there. There's billions of them. Stay humble and focus on providing value, build your community... it may also end up as a closed Facebook Group where women can exchange on the specific subject... and you can sell advertizing on that group (this is what we do).

There's a lot of possibilities, but nowadays, sustaining people's interesting with ONLY a blog, unless each article is worth a solid gold brick , is hard. People aren't focused at all and that's why you need to be everywhere to catch them in your web.
 

Kevin88660

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Wow, good for your client. That sounds like a challenge!

Thank you! I never understood how bloggers can actually make good money. Before replying to you, I read these threads to get some more context.



Anyway, now that I am decently educated:

Do most of the bloggers you know make their money through sponsorships?
I am a financial adviser from Singapore. I am not in the content creation business so I cannot really guide you on the business of blogging.

But from my experience in business people do the best in areas of their strength. And it does strike well immediately that you write well like a professional writer. That gives you a competitive advantage in related field.

I can link you to some successful examples in the niche I know. Below is the link of a very famous financial blogger. Their opinions shape the market demand for millennials. We as financial sales peoples literally feel it during our interaction with our clients when they told us that they do not like this plan because they read from a guru that this is "bad"...

 

Hopeful

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Hiya @Hopeful

Welcome to the forum. At the outset first know with absolute certainty that you can make a very large sum of money working only a few hours online. It is possible and many people have done it. But there's a lot of work involved upfront. I work only about 3 hours / day freelancing and make what would be a full time salary even in the US. So don't fall to excuses.

There are multiple things you could do, but let me suggest to you the best in your situation. Earning solely from Blogging and relying on advertisement / affiliate sales requires a tremendous amount of hard work for a very long time. I would say it would take a couple of years of generating content regularly (blogs / videos) to actually get to a place where Blogging would just sustain you.

The styling concept you mentioned upfront was really interesting. I would suggest you build a course around it. If you can do this right, in about 6-8 months of regular working, you could start generating decent sales. Approximately, the steps would be:

  1. Create a Blog around styling specifically with the concepts you mentioned. odd intersection of Seasonal Color Analysis, Personal Styling, Body Shape Typing, and Personality Typing.
  2. Throw in some good quality posts about general styling and the likes. In total let's say you should have at least about 10 posts.
  3. Create a few free videos around the styling color concepts. I would say at least 3.
  4. Now create a video course aimed at absolute beginners which can take them from not knowing anything about what styling and colors etc etc (ME!) to them being able to do this confidently. Write down very clearly WHO your ideal customer is. Their hopes, dreams and fears!
  5. This video course should have at least 4 modules with 3-4 videos in each module of about 30 minutes to 90 mins (or at max 120 mins)
  6. Learn about Adwords from @Andy Black 's adwords course. Learn Copywriting from @Lex DeVille
  7. Learn about Facebook Advertising.
  8. Do Forum posting in your niche, guest posting, genuinely provide value and help people.
  9. Drive traffic to your Blog with the above, build an email list. Learn about AutoResponders and email marketing.
  10. Sell your course for at least $49. Research other beauty and styling courses to see how much they charge.
The above all can be done in 6-8 months, working for 4-6 hours per day. Within a year if you are irregular but still focused. You would need some money for Advertising. If you are totally broke, you can hit up influencers on Instagram, make friends online and ask people to recommend your course. Remember your course has to be good.

Read this thread -> GOLD! - A physicist's guide to learning hard things

Earning money is not difficult, keeping yourself disciplined is. Don't resign ever in life to anything. Not money, not disease, not time. You only lose when you give up. And All the Best.
@Sadik, thank you so much for all the thought and detail you put into your reply. I think I could definitely execute all the steps you listed. Especially the video part, since I have a small bit of experience in professional video editing and audio narration! :) I really enjoy working with video, and it would be a pleasure to put together a course like the one you suggested. My learning curve would be Adwords/marketing. But hey, nothing worthwhile ever came without a learning curve!

I will look at those resources you listed, too. Thank you again.
 
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Hopeful

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I am a financial adviser from Singapore. I am not in the content creation business so I cannot really guide you on the business of blogging.

But from my experience in business people do the best in areas of their strength. And it does strike well immediately that you write well like a professional writer. That gives you a competitive advantage in related field.

I can link you to some successful examples in the niche I know. Below is the link of a very famous financial blogger. Their opinions shape the market demand for millennials. We as financial sales peoples literally feel it during our interaction with our clients when they told us that they do not like this plan because they read from a guru that this is "bad"...

Thanks for the encouragement and the info! I'll definitely check out SG Budget Babe.
 

Hopeful

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Hi Hopeful,

My girlfriend has been running a blog for over 5 years, and I would rather consider it as a marketing channel. People get hooked by all the free, high quality content that gives them value. Once they like your stuff, they'll most likely subscribe to your newsletter... and your blog posts most likely will contain link to your products/services (This seems like it needs to be defined... find a real need these women have, and provide value !).

Getting notorious on one platform gives you leverage to extend on others: Instagram, Facebook Pages, etc. The goal is to become omiscient to the user. Then, each different marketing channel can be used to advertize your brand new product/service, and with all the value you already provided for free, people will buy with confidence.

One thing to remember is that you're not the first blog out there. There's billions of them. Stay humble and focus on providing value, build your community... it may also end up as a closed Facebook Group where women can exchange on the specific subject... and you can sell advertizing on that group (this is what we do).

There's a lot of possibilities, but nowadays, sustaining people's interesting with ONLY a blog, unless each article is worth a solid gold brick , is hard. People aren't focused at all and that's why you need to be everywhere to catch them in your web.
Great food for thought, Jeff. So it seems like blogging isn't a way to earn significant income, but it's a way to draw people to your product or service. Thanks so much for sharing your girlfriend's experience; this is super helpful information.
 

Sadik

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@Sadik, thank you so much for all the thought and detail you put into your reply. I think I could definitely execute all the steps you listed. Especially the video part, since I have a small bit of experience in professional video editing and audio narration! :) I really enjoy working with video, and it would be a pleasure to put together a course like the one you suggested. My learning curve would be Adwords/marketing. But hey, nothing worthwhile ever came without a learning curve!

I will look at those resources you listed, too. Thank you again.
Let us know what you did with all the information you received in this thread. Update your thread as you take action.
 
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Have you considered writing books and self publishing?
 

Hopeful

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Have you considered writing books and self publishing?
Yes, I have! I have been editing for self-published authors for a few years (since my second year of college). I have been observing the self-publishing process and mentally filing my observations for future action. It is very easy to self-publish a book poorly—which could mean writing poorly, editing poorly, or marketing poorly. If any aspect is done shoddily, the professionalism of the book will suffer. So if I do it, I want to make sure I do it right. I would need to save up some money to pay for a good editor, good cover art, etc. I would also want to be very sure that I had a topic that would help people and that I could write authoritatively about.

The initial expense is the main thing that has kept me from writing a book. But that's a solve-able problem. :)

I also had several topics I wanted to write about, and I wasn't sure which was the best. But I think I have an idea worth running with here.

I think what I'm learning from this thread is that I need to have a multi-layered strategy. I can't just have a blog, or a book, or a course. I need marketing/social media to draw people in, valuable free content to keep their interest, and a valuable product and/or service to make a profit. (Like @Jeff Noel 's web metaphor.)
 

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I think what I'm learning from this thread is that I need to have a multi-layered strategy.
If you want inspiration in that matter, and a working example, start analyzing Tai Lopez' web presence.
Not only is he focussing really hard on retargetting (if you start watching his content, you'll see his face everywhere), but everything you see has been selected for you.

He's gone as far as targetting specific emotions in specific videos, without most people seeing it.
His original "Here in my garage" ad on YouTube linked to a page with a 1 hour video targetting 7 different emotions... and value ! Someone who watched the whole video would learn a lot about web marketing. Everytime he starts rambling, think about who he's talking to in that story. Think about why he's using paper and pen, why he recorded this in his largest living room, etc.

"I won't keep this video up for long, you know me I like testing various things..." (urgency).
 
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The niche is this odd intersection of Seasonal Color Analysis, Personal Styling, Body Shape Typing, and Personality Typing.
Then, create a private program where women can pay you $86 a month to have you as their personal stylist who works with them for 6 month plans at a time who helps them with this and many other things related to fashion and beauty.

I'm a woman, just saying I like your niche idea and Johnny boy's program model or something similar. It's true that the relevant resources are scattered everywhere; I'm sure you can craft something out of this.
 

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2) Could you give some examples, please? I'm pretty new to all this. Do you mean like a course or a book?

Once you have built and attracted an audience by providing valuable content (in whatever format), then whatever offer you put together, you have a ready-made audience listening to your every word.

Instead of creating an offer, posting it on the internet, and **crickets**, you have the opportunity to...
  • Create an offer that resonates with you audience (because you know them and you've listened to their needs).
  • Have people lining up to buy from you as soon as you release something (because they already know, like, and trust you)
  • Sell more to strangers (because they see loads of social proof)
So monetizing this could really be done in countless ways... an online course, a book, affiliate sales, physical products, a membership, etc.

4) I think I probably could. I couldn't become the foremost authority on any particular theory, but I could become the #1 person on combining and applying all of them. So, going back to your first point... even though blogging isn't profitable, it could be a way to build my authority, right? And get higher in the search rankings?

The reason I ask is because if you take yourself seriously and build content where your very intention is to become that authority, the more SEO traction you'll get, the more other people will take you seriously, and the more you'll accelerate your progress towards your goals.

You've got this! I'm excited to see how it all plays out!
 
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Yes, I have! I have been editing for self-published authors for a few years (since my second year of college). I have been observing the self-publishing process and mentally filing my observations for future action. It is very easy to self-publish a book poorly—which could mean writing poorly, editing poorly, or marketing poorly. If any aspect is done shoddily, the professionalism of the book will suffer. So if I do it, I want to make sure I do it right. I would need to save up some money to pay for a good editor, good cover art, etc. I would also want to be very sure that I had a topic that would help people and that I could write authoritatively about.

The initial expense is the main thing that has kept me from writing a book. But that's a solve-able problem. :)

I also had several topics I wanted to write about, and I wasn't sure which was the best. But I think I have an idea worth running with here.

I think what I'm learning from this thread is that I need to have a multi-layered strategy. I can't just have a blog, or a book, or a course. I need marketing/social media to draw people in, valuable free content to keep their interest, and a valuable product and/or service to make a profit. (Like @Jeff Noel 's web metaphor.)
Don't get sucked into thinking you have to send $300 on a cover and a $1000 on an editor. If you can write decently, you can self edit or exchange with another author, and spend less $100 on a cover.
 

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Don't get sucked into thinking you have to send $300 on a cover and a $1000 on an editor. If you can write decently, you can self edit or exchange with another author, and spend less $100 on a cover.
I probably have that mindset because I am an editor, and I'd like to think professional editing is worth the money. :happy: But I see what you're saying, and those are excellent suggestions! Thanks.
 

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Once you have built and attracted an audience by providing valuable content (in whatever format), then whatever offer you put together, you have a ready-made audience listening to your every word.

Instead of creating an offer, posting it on the internet, and **crickets**, you have the opportunity to...
  • Create an offer that resonates with you audience (because you know them and you've listened to their needs).
  • Have people lining up to buy from you as soon as you release something (because they already know, like, and trust you)
  • Sell more to strangers (because they see loads of social proof)
So monetizing this could really be done in countless ways... an online course, a book, affiliate sales, physical products, a membership, etc.



The reason I ask is because if you take yourself seriously and build content where your very intention is to become that authority, the more SEO traction you'll get, the more other people will take you seriously, and the more you'll accelerate your progress towards your goals.

You've got this! I'm excited to see how it all plays out!
Okay, I see what you're saying! Thanks for explaining and thanks for the encouragement.

Based on all the advice I've gotten so far, my first step is going to be market research. I already have a casual knowledge of the market since this is a topic I'm interested in, but I need to do a deep dive to see where the needs are.
 
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Doing market research and thinking.

The most glaring lack I see in this niche is that there's no hub* for all the info about style theories. I think I could create that hub. I could interview stylists and authors and create a one-stop shop for all things color analysis, personal styling, etc. Then once I gain visibility and credibility, I can create a course or ebook that ties all the theories together and teaches women how to apply them.

I could use interviews not only to promote my brand, but also as research for creating my product.

I don't think I can become the #1 stylist in the industry. I don't want to make that my goal. So I'm asking myself, "What can I be the #1 at?" I think I can be the #1 source of information and clarification about these style theories.

Does that sound like a viable plan?

*There are some small hubs, but they're very disorganized.

Edit: These are what I would consider the informational hubs of this niche:

Pinterest is also a major information-gathering place. But again, not very organized.
 

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@cautiouscapy What has your experience been with personal style?

What do you WISH existed in this niche?

Do you have any needs that are being unmet by the current resources?
 

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