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Hello everyone 
2014 hasn't been the most unproductive year - but 2015 is going to be amazing!
I am putting up this progress thread to...
1. Keep me accountable and make sure I'm actually taking action
2. Invite constructive criticism and questions
3. Record this journey and track my progress
A background of my journey so far: I started building niche websites so that I could continue traveling. Had no idea what I was doing so stuck with what I knew - researching, reading and writing. I researched for topics that people seemed to be looking for answers to/solutions for (and where there were related products to be sold) but where there was no real reliable/good/consolidated information source on. And then I spent anywhere from one week to a month reading voraciously and putting out the best information there was on the topic. And then I left the site(s) alone for a few months while I focused on learning more about the whole website building and monetizing thing. If after 4 to 6 months, the site was gaining in traffic and making over $300 a month, I spruced it up and added some new content and additional revenue sources.
Where I'm at right now: I built several sites this way (and experimented unsuccessfully outside of my "usual" model) and as of now, I have 4 regularly earning sites that are netting around $5K a month collectively that demand very little of my time. It's been a really fun, interesting, and life-changing journey learning to build them, watching them grow and proving to myself that it's possible to make money without a job. And I've learned a lot, the most important things being...
1. The website(s) is not the business, it is simply the only platform I currently know how to use to get access to specific demographics of people whose interests/needs/desires I can serve and monetize over and over and over again
2. I actually really enjoy this - beyond just making enough to travel. I spent 2014 in over a dozen countries, telling myself this was what I wanted, what I had worked for, and by the end of it, I realized that it wasn't. At least, not in the way I thought it was. I think what I loved most about traveling was the feeling of expansion and possibility, of discovering things that changed or added to my perception of the world and myself. But I get a lot of those feelings from work and I think I love this more right now, enough to give up traveling for the time being.
3. Up until early last year (when I read MJ's book - brilliant but so beyond my level of understanding/experience that it took my slow and stubborn brain 2 more reads and several months of letting it seep in to begin to process it), I thought I had a business because my websites weren't time-dependent. Well, turns out I don't. Each of my websites meet Need and Time, but currently fail Entry and Scale (took me awhile to admit this to myself). I've been working on Control by building my email lists and creating and launching my first (info) product last month (yay!).
But I still have a really long way to go. Yes, I do want a fastlane business, one that meets all 5 commandments...but I just don't have anything that feels right right now. I keep hitting the analysis paralysis wall every time I start researching and mulling over what I can do so my best option seems to be to push forward with what I know, even if it's not the perfect business. These websites are not my fastlane but they do allow me time and room to experiment, which I'll be using to "find" my potential fastlane business by the beginning of 2016.
Hopefully, as I get more experience and skills from growing what I have, I can create a better opportunity (and have enough sense to jump on it).
Where I'm going: I have 3 main goals for this year...
1. GROW the sites I currently have with the intention of learning to effectively delegate the tasks I already know how to do while experimenting with new methods and building new skills.
The scale potential for the websites I currently have is limited but I can optimize my existing reach. My main goal is to use these websites to practice skills I need to have, experiment with and learn from while collecting more emails and building a better relationship with my audiences, which I can then funnel into a new, related website with a wider scope. I'd like to grow these 4 sites to a total of $9K per month by the end of this year. Save the extra cash flow to grow fastlane business when I know what it is.
2. CREATE new sites with the intention of making one a potential fastlane business while exploring new website (revenue) models.
Main focus is to build websites with higher Entry and greater potential for Scale and Control until I have one that has potential to be my fastlane. Also want to create new sites that are like my existing sites - small reach but low maintenance - I want to see if I can replicate these while removing myself from most of the process. Grow these new sites to a total of $11K per month by the end of this year, use extra cash flow to delegate recurring tasks and management and save the rest to invest into future fastlane business.
3. PLAY to allow myself time and space to grow and breathe
Break the habit of working in extremes and schedule in play time every single day, even when I have a million things I want to get done. No thinking about anything work related during this time.
What I must do to accomplish my goals:
1. Stay put in one place. Travel only for visa runs.
2. Bite the bullet and hire VAs to handle recurring tasks, even if it's scary.
3. Wake up by 7 so I can have more productive hours every day.
4. Keep monthly living expenses at $1,500 so I can invest the rest to grow websites faster.
5. Exercise every day to keep mind clear and avoid getting chair a$$.
6. Eat small, frequent meals to avoid food coma and keep energy up.
7. Post my progress every week and check in to make sure I'm staying on track.
Okay, really nice to get all this out - I've had so many things swishing around in my head.
I'm super excited to start! I'll be posting my progress every week. And I'd be eternally grateful for your constructive criticism, suggestions and any thoughts you want to share - if you've been where I am and know stuff I can't see right now, please, please tell me! Thank you, especially if you've read this far
2014 hasn't been the most unproductive year - but 2015 is going to be amazing!
I am putting up this progress thread to...
1. Keep me accountable and make sure I'm actually taking action
2. Invite constructive criticism and questions
3. Record this journey and track my progress
A background of my journey so far: I started building niche websites so that I could continue traveling. Had no idea what I was doing so stuck with what I knew - researching, reading and writing. I researched for topics that people seemed to be looking for answers to/solutions for (and where there were related products to be sold) but where there was no real reliable/good/consolidated information source on. And then I spent anywhere from one week to a month reading voraciously and putting out the best information there was on the topic. And then I left the site(s) alone for a few months while I focused on learning more about the whole website building and monetizing thing. If after 4 to 6 months, the site was gaining in traffic and making over $300 a month, I spruced it up and added some new content and additional revenue sources.
Where I'm at right now: I built several sites this way (and experimented unsuccessfully outside of my "usual" model) and as of now, I have 4 regularly earning sites that are netting around $5K a month collectively that demand very little of my time. It's been a really fun, interesting, and life-changing journey learning to build them, watching them grow and proving to myself that it's possible to make money without a job. And I've learned a lot, the most important things being...
1. The website(s) is not the business, it is simply the only platform I currently know how to use to get access to specific demographics of people whose interests/needs/desires I can serve and monetize over and over and over again
2. I actually really enjoy this - beyond just making enough to travel. I spent 2014 in over a dozen countries, telling myself this was what I wanted, what I had worked for, and by the end of it, I realized that it wasn't. At least, not in the way I thought it was. I think what I loved most about traveling was the feeling of expansion and possibility, of discovering things that changed or added to my perception of the world and myself. But I get a lot of those feelings from work and I think I love this more right now, enough to give up traveling for the time being.
3. Up until early last year (when I read MJ's book - brilliant but so beyond my level of understanding/experience that it took my slow and stubborn brain 2 more reads and several months of letting it seep in to begin to process it), I thought I had a business because my websites weren't time-dependent. Well, turns out I don't. Each of my websites meet Need and Time, but currently fail Entry and Scale (took me awhile to admit this to myself). I've been working on Control by building my email lists and creating and launching my first (info) product last month (yay!).
But I still have a really long way to go. Yes, I do want a fastlane business, one that meets all 5 commandments...but I just don't have anything that feels right right now. I keep hitting the analysis paralysis wall every time I start researching and mulling over what I can do so my best option seems to be to push forward with what I know, even if it's not the perfect business. These websites are not my fastlane but they do allow me time and room to experiment, which I'll be using to "find" my potential fastlane business by the beginning of 2016.
Hopefully, as I get more experience and skills from growing what I have, I can create a better opportunity (and have enough sense to jump on it).
Where I'm going: I have 3 main goals for this year...
1. GROW the sites I currently have with the intention of learning to effectively delegate the tasks I already know how to do while experimenting with new methods and building new skills.
The scale potential for the websites I currently have is limited but I can optimize my existing reach. My main goal is to use these websites to practice skills I need to have, experiment with and learn from while collecting more emails and building a better relationship with my audiences, which I can then funnel into a new, related website with a wider scope. I'd like to grow these 4 sites to a total of $9K per month by the end of this year. Save the extra cash flow to grow fastlane business when I know what it is.
2. CREATE new sites with the intention of making one a potential fastlane business while exploring new website (revenue) models.
Main focus is to build websites with higher Entry and greater potential for Scale and Control until I have one that has potential to be my fastlane. Also want to create new sites that are like my existing sites - small reach but low maintenance - I want to see if I can replicate these while removing myself from most of the process. Grow these new sites to a total of $11K per month by the end of this year, use extra cash flow to delegate recurring tasks and management and save the rest to invest into future fastlane business.
3. PLAY to allow myself time and space to grow and breathe
Break the habit of working in extremes and schedule in play time every single day, even when I have a million things I want to get done. No thinking about anything work related during this time.
What I must do to accomplish my goals:
1. Stay put in one place. Travel only for visa runs.
2. Bite the bullet and hire VAs to handle recurring tasks, even if it's scary.
3. Wake up by 7 so I can have more productive hours every day.
4. Keep monthly living expenses at $1,500 so I can invest the rest to grow websites faster.
5. Exercise every day to keep mind clear and avoid getting chair a$$.
6. Eat small, frequent meals to avoid food coma and keep energy up.
7. Post my progress every week and check in to make sure I'm staying on track.
Okay, really nice to get all this out - I've had so many things swishing around in my head.
I'm super excited to start! I'll be posting my progress every week. And I'd be eternally grateful for your constructive criticism, suggestions and any thoughts you want to share - if you've been where I am and know stuff I can't see right now, please, please tell me! Thank you, especially if you've read this far
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