How to Create a $2k+/mo Passive Income Website in 30 Days (or Less)

[lifemaker]

Hey Lex, I see that Etsy has the number of reviews for the seller, which makes it pretty easy to see who is selling a lot. And some products show the number of reviews for the product itself, like this:

View attachment 53009

But strangely, the "reviews for this item" data doesn't show up on all products, only the review count for the shop. I've clicked on several products for sellers with thousands of ratings, but very few have the product review count. And there isn't a way to sort products by best selling when viewing a seller's profile, at least not that I can see. That would make it way too easy for people to have their best sellers replicated I suppose.

It looks like it will take some digging to find which individual products are actually selling in volume, but only a few clicks to see which sellers are selling in volume. There will be some guessing involved. Is that what you have found?

I did come across a couple tools that claim to give you sales data to help you identify top selling Etsy products - everbee.io and insightfactory.app - maybe those can give you a seller's top products.

Thank you for posting this thread.

and thank you for giving two useful products choosing applications.

 

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[windchaser]

What can we sell perhaps a service?

Depends on the service, but it could be an option.

What I did was offering a course solving a very specific problem of a niche I know well.

You could try something similar with either a product or a service. The key is solving the problem effectively.

 

[A Sunderland]

Thats again a very motivating thread made by Lex. Thanks for it.

But again I stand on the same problem as allways.
I just wanted to install Wordpress to get some practice and set up a shop like you showed, when I stuck at doing recherche about what digital product I could sell.
On Etsy I found for download courses how to set up a etsy shop or pictures to paint.
But imo that can’t be anything serious to get going.
So I spent some hours recherching and ended in doing nothing.

Can you evaluate a bit more about how to get a digital product? Thanks?

Thats again a very motivating thread made by Lex. Thanks for it.

But again I stand on the same problem as allways.
I just wanted to install Wordpress to get some practice and set up a shop like you showed, when I stuck at doing recherche about what digital product I could sell.
On Etsy I found for download courses how to set up a etsy shop or pictures to paint.
But imo that can’t be anything serious to get going.
So I spent some hours recherching and ended in doing nothing.

Can you evaluate a bit more about how to get a digital product? Thanks?

You can use (quality) PLR, public domain works, or get freelancers on sites like Fiverr to create the products.
Use A.I. dictate text to create an audio file, or use text to voice services. Use things like Invideo to create videos from text.
Stuart Stirling has a free ebook on creating a product in a day, so look that up.

 

[CrimsonNight]

After relocating, I've decided to have another go at this idea. This time, I'll try to improve on the weaknesses that led me to close the first store. Those problems were:

1. Being too niche to grow
2. Chargebacks

Solving the Niche Problem
The simple answer is, I'll target a broader audience.

Solving Chargebacks
I'll implement two strategies. First, I'll target better customers. Second, I'll add an inexpensive physical product and ship it to their physical address. Since I'm dealing in digital templates, they can be printed and mailed to create a paper trail.

Below is an idea that could be digital only, forcing the customer to print on their own. Instead, the business prints the doc and mails it to you. I've purchased maps like this (without a frame). They arrived as rolled slips of thick paper in a branded tube and made a nice x-mas gift.

The map below is listed at $40.00+ and the shop has made over 30,000 sales since 2014 on Etsy (around 6-figures/year from Etsy alone).

Accountability
I decided to operate this attempt for a minimum of one year. To keep track, I purchased a D-Day perpetual countdown calendar. Should be here Thursday.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074SJHSYJ/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

Aside - someone should modify this calendar into a "Wantrapreneur D-Day" calendar. You'd have a cool product for Etsy/Amazon. That's what I searched for before purchasing this. I just didn't find one.

Want to Participate?
Come up with a digital or digital/physical product idea and let's go. One year. Get a calendar and start your countdown. I've already chosen a product, name, created a simple logo, and set up a basic website.

good luck

gonna launch mine today, was a bit busy with my other biz to focus on this.

 

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[Salsa]

If you find a niche keyword with 1,000+ searches per month, that's good enough to move forward with the niche.

So far a lot of the niches I searched came up with 1k searches, but it's a high competition, how worried should I be regarding that?

 

[Lex DeVille]

So far a lot of the niches I searched came up with 1k searches, but it's a high competition, how worried should I be regarding that?

Hard to say. I'm not really a wait/worry/wonder kind of guy. I'm a try it, see what happens, and go from there kind of guy.

 

[Andy Black]

Hard to say. I'm not really a wait/worry/wonder kind of guy. I'm a try it, see what happens, and go from there kind of guy.

^^^ This.

Nothing to be worried about, only curious.

 

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[Salsa]

Hard to say. I'm not really a wait/worry/wonder kind of guy. I'm a try it, see what happens, and go from there kind of guy.

alright, ill go forward with my niche, its better than sitting around all day XD

 

[Anon45x4yB]

In November, I launched a digital product. In under 30 days, I generated over $2,000 in sales.

View attachment 47488
Four months later, the site had its first $2,000 week...

View attachment 47490
I've been documenting this progress in my Insider's thread here.

Now, I'm going to show you how to do it.

Here are some things to know:

• The idea is not new or novel
• There are no inventory costs
• I created the product in a day and had it for sale in a month
• The product is not attached to my name
• The business is almost entirely automated
• The business generates mostly passive income
• Anyone from any country in the world could replicate this if you're not a pussy with a shitty attitude

So what is this thread for?
I decided to replicate the process across multiple websites to create a variety of new passive-income streams and you can try it for yourself if you want. Feel free to ask questions. I'll respond when I can.

What does the process look like so far?
I started on both ideas yesterday. I expect to put in 4-8 hours per day for around 30 days to get both launched. Then probably less than an hour per day for each site. Okay, here we go:

1.0 The Product
Both of the new websites will sell digital products. One site will sell one of the products from my first site but to a different niche. The second site will sell a product I have never tested before to a new audience.

1.1 Product Requirements

• Must be a digital product (i.e. text, video, audio, illustrative, etc.)
• Must be simple to create (i.e. I can create it in a day)
• Must have proven sales (as indicated by other sellers in the market)
• Must have an angle that will give me an edge over competitors
• Must be something I can sell through my own website
• Must not require ongoing support or complex systems

1.2 Examples of Potentially Good Digital Products
Short ebook, templates, guides, checklists, sound effects, music, vocal recordings, videos, digital illustrations, digital software, etc. Niching down is generally what makes any of these *good.*

1.3 Product Creation
I want products that can be created fast (like less than an hour). I got ideas from products sold on other sites like Envato, Etsy, Ebay, etc. I also used Google Adwords to check out search volume for keywords. For product creation, I used Canva (I pay for the $9/mo version) and Envato Elements (I pay for the $197/yr subscription).

2.0 Domain Name
Once I decided on products, I needed a domain name for the websites. I used Namecheap to run domain searches and Wordhippo to help brainstorm name ideas. I purchased the domains through Namecheap for $9 each (less for new accounts). Since I already have web hosting with ChemiCloud, I pointed the domains to ChemiCloud. You can buy domains on ChemiCloud, but it's not as cheap. I also set up SSL through ChemiCloud to secure the site's domains.

2.1 Domain Name Requirements

• Three words or less
• Has one or more of the keywords in the name
• Flows well
• Easy to read, remember, and repeat
• Ends in .com

3.0 Website
In cPanel inside ChemiCloud, I added the two domains and set up support emails as support@domainname.com for each site. I forwarded both of these to my personal email (so I don't have to log into multiple emails every day). Then I installed Wordpress using their Wordpress Manager.

3.1 Basic Setup
With Wordpress installed, I visited the site's backend. Now I checked the "General" settings to confirm the URL showed "https" for security. I also checked the permalink settings to confirm they are set to "Post Name" for the blog. Next, I installed my core plugin stack:

• Classic Wordpress Editor (I don't like Gutenberg)
• Yoast SEO
• Thrive Product Manager (which includes several plugins and my theme)

Thrive Product Manager comes from ThriveThemes. You could replicate my process without Thrive (and probably cheaper), but it's my preferred method since Thrive's products are built for marketers (and because I already pay for it).

3.2 Web Pages
Once my plugins were installed, I created all of the core pages:

• Home Page
• About Page
• Contact Page
• Terms Page
• Privacy Page
• Disclaimer Page

3.3 Thrive Themes Setup
With the pages in place, I launched Thrive Builder and installed their "Kwik" theme because I like it. It's wizard walks me through several important steps like adding my logo, page and blog structures, header and footer structures, menu, brand colors, and typography.

3.4 Logo Creation
I used a Canva logo template to create a logo for the first site, then I replicated the logo in the brand colors of the second site, and replaced the first site's name with the second site's name. Beyond that, the logos are identical. Took all of 10 seconds.

3.5 Core Content
For the Terms, Privacy, and Disclaimer pages I copy/paste from a similar website (in this case my own) and then replace their website's info with my own and change areas as needed to be relevant for my sites. For the About page, I stay as simple as possible and write one to two paragraphs about my site. For the home page, I create a main image area with a headline and a call to action leading into a button that goes to the shop page (shop page doesn't exist yet tho). The rest of the page can remain blank for now. You'll see why in the next section.

3.6 Checkout System
One of my websites uses ThriveCart (costs $500 one-time). The other site uses WooCommerce plugin (free but pay for add-ons if you need them). Once WooCommerce was installed, I went through the wizard to setup all the basic stuff like payment methods and whatnot. Once ThriveCart and WooCommerce were set up, I created basic product pages and then I placed those products on the home page of my website as the content for that page (that's why I left it blank earlier). If you use WooCommerce, they will create a shop page for you. Otherwise, you can create a shop page now.

4.0 Email
Email plays a key role in the success of these businesses (particularly email automation). I use ActiveCampaign on the Plus version. ThriveThemes integrates well with ActiveCampaign, as does ThriveCart. There are other email services you can use that cost less or are free to start.

Next Steps?
All of the above was accomplished in one day.

Next, I'll finish WooCommerce setup, optimize the site for mobile viewers, set up a YouTube account for one site (because it will be a good traffic source), create about six products for one site, and around 50 for the other site. After that, I'll turn on Google Ads and see how much it costs to get someone to click on my website and buy the product.

Once all of that is finished, the last step left is to grow the email list, and refine and test everything (pricing, design, emails, etc.) to get people to buy faster with lower acquisition cost.

Growth & Scale?
Long-term, I can bring on freelancers to manage things like the website, products, and email. But one person can bring this to $4k - $10k/mo, maybe more, before hiring becomes necessary.

Ready?
I don't plan to post updates every day. There will be parts you have to figure out on your own. If you want to build a $4k+ per month passive-income that you control, then this thread should help.

Disclaimer: There's no coaching offer at the end of this. No course. Don't DM me for private questions about this. If your question can't be answered in this thread, then it can't be answered by me. Lastly, it's entirely possible that I may fail and you may too, so you need to not be a weenie to make this work for you.

brilliant

 

[Lex DeVille]

Anyone who wants to follow along or participate in the new group accountability thread can find it here:

EXECUTION - Lex's Digital/Physical Product Group Accountability Thread

See this thread for more information on the what/how part of what we're creating in this thread. Accountability I decided to hold myself accountable for one year on my latest idea. I'm doing it in this thread in case you'd like to join in for group accountability. Goals: 1. To create and...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

 

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[NervesOfSteel]

In November, I launched a digital product. In under 30 days, I generated over $2,000 in sales.

View attachment 47488
Four months later, the site had its first $2,000 week...

View attachment 47490
I've been documenting this progress in my Insider's thread here.

Now, I'm going to show you how to do it.

Here are some things to know:

• The idea is not new or novel
• There are no inventory costs
• I created the product in a day and had it for sale in a month
• The product is not attached to my name
• The business is almost entirely automated
• The business generates mostly passive income
• Anyone from any country in the world could replicate this if you're not a pussy with a shitty attitude

So what is this thread for?
I decided to replicate the process across multiple websites to create a variety of new passive-income streams and you can try it for yourself if you want. Feel free to ask questions. I'll respond when I can.

What does the process look like so far?
I started on both ideas yesterday. I expect to put in 4-8 hours per day for around 30 days to get both launched. Then probably less than an hour per day for each site. Okay, here we go:

1.0 The Product
Both of the new websites will sell digital products. One site will sell one of the products from my first site but to a different niche. The second site will sell a product I have never tested before to a new audience.

1.1 Product Requirements

• Must be a digital product (i.e. text, video, audio, illustrative, etc.)
• Must be simple to create (i.e. I can create it in a day)
• Must have proven sales (as indicated by other sellers in the market)
• Must have an angle that will give me an edge over competitors
• Must be something I can sell through my own website
• Must not require ongoing support or complex systems

1.2 Examples of Potentially Good Digital Products
Short ebook, templates, guides, checklists, sound effects, music, vocal recordings, videos, digital illustrations, digital software, etc. Niching down is generally what makes any of these *good.*

1.3 Product Creation
I want products that can be created fast (like less than an hour). I got ideas from products sold on other sites like Envato, Etsy, Ebay, etc. I also used Google Adwords to check out search volume for keywords. For product creation, I used Canva (I pay for the $9/mo version) and Envato Elements (I pay for the $197/yr subscription).

2.0 Domain Name
Once I decided on products, I needed a domain name for the websites. I used Namecheap to run domain searches and Wordhippo to help brainstorm name ideas. I purchased the domains through Namecheap for $9 each (less for new accounts). Since I already have web hosting with ChemiCloud, I pointed the domains to ChemiCloud. You can buy domains on ChemiCloud, but it's not as cheap. I also set up SSL through ChemiCloud to secure the site's domains.

2.1 Domain Name Requirements

• Three words or less
• Has one or more of the keywords in the name
• Flows well
• Easy to read, remember, and repeat
• Ends in .com

3.0 Website
In cPanel inside ChemiCloud, I added the two domains and set up support emails as support@domainname.com for each site. I forwarded both of these to my personal email (so I don't have to log into multiple emails every day). Then I installed Wordpress using their Wordpress Manager.

3.1 Basic Setup
With Wordpress installed, I visited the site's backend. Now I checked the "General" settings to confirm the URL showed "https" for security. I also checked the permalink settings to confirm they are set to "Post Name" for the blog. Next, I installed my core plugin stack:

• Classic Wordpress Editor (I don't like Gutenberg)
• Yoast SEO
• Thrive Product Manager (which includes several plugins and my theme)

Thrive Product Manager comes from ThriveThemes. You could replicate my process without Thrive (and probably cheaper), but it's my preferred method since Thrive's products are built for marketers (and because I already pay for it).

3.2 Web Pages
Once my plugins were installed, I created all of the core pages:

• Home Page
• About Page
• Contact Page
• Terms Page
• Privacy Page
• Disclaimer Page

3.3 Thrive Themes Setup
With the pages in place, I launched Thrive Builder and installed their "Kwik" theme because I like it. It's wizard walks me through several important steps like adding my logo, page and blog structures, header and footer structures, menu, brand colors, and typography.

3.4 Logo Creation
I used a Canva logo template to create a logo for the first site, then I replicated the logo in the brand colors of the second site, and replaced the first site's name with the second site's name. Beyond that, the logos are identical. Took all of 10 seconds.

3.5 Core Content
For the Terms, Privacy, and Disclaimer pages I copy/paste from a similar website (in this case my own) and then replace their website's info with my own and change areas as needed to be relevant for my sites. For the About page, I stay as simple as possible and write one to two paragraphs about my site. For the home page, I create a main image area with a headline and a call to action leading into a button that goes to the shop page (shop page doesn't exist yet tho). The rest of the page can remain blank for now. You'll see why in the next section.

3.6 Checkout System
One of my websites uses ThriveCart (costs $500 one-time). The other site uses WooCommerce plugin (free but pay for add-ons if you need them). Once WooCommerce was installed, I went through the wizard to setup all the basic stuff like payment methods and whatnot. Once ThriveCart and WooCommerce were set up, I created basic product pages and then I placed those products on the home page of my website as the content for that page (that's why I left it blank earlier). If you use WooCommerce, they will create a shop page for you. Otherwise, you can create a shop page now.

4.0 Email
Email plays a key role in the success of these businesses (particularly email automation). I use ActiveCampaign on the Plus version. ThriveThemes integrates well with ActiveCampaign, as does ThriveCart. There are other email services you can use that cost less or are free to start.

Next Steps?
All of the above was accomplished in one day.

Next, I'll finish WooCommerce setup, optimize the site for mobile viewers, set up a YouTube account for one site (because it will be a good traffic source), create about six products for one site, and around 50 for the other site. After that, I'll turn on Google Ads and see how much it costs to get someone to click on my website and buy the product.

Once all of that is finished, the last step left is to grow the email list, and refine and test everything (pricing, design, emails, etc.) to get people to buy faster with lower acquisition cost.

Growth & Scale?
Long-term, I can bring on freelancers to manage things like the website, products, and email. But one person can bring this to $4k - $10k/mo, maybe more, before hiring becomes necessary.

Ready?
I don't plan to post updates every day. There will be parts you have to figure out on your own. If you want to build a $4k+ per month passive-income that you control, then this thread should help.

Disclaimer: There's no coaching offer at the end of this. No course. Don't DM me for private questions about this. If your question can't be answered in this thread, then it can't be answered by me. Lastly, it's entirely possible that I may fail and you may too, so you need to not be a weenie to make this work for you.

Great thread. The way you explain it seems simply doable!

I have already started my market research and am very excited to begin this project for one reason alone - It will push me out of my comfort zone and teach me some new skills - especially digital marketing - something I have been procrastinating for a long time.

Hopefully, this will teach me the skills that will help me a long way with my current and other upcoming businesses, along with making some passive income, if it does!

Thank you, sir, for providing the insight!

On the Flipside, ETSY has prohibited my country from opening a store on its platform otherwise it would be much easier for me to reach a larger international audience!

Is there any viable alternative to Etsy, in your opinion?

 

[Lex DeVille]

Great thread. The way you explain it seems simply doable!

I have already started my market research and am very excited to begin this project for one reason alone - It will push me out of my comfort zone and teach me some new skills - especially digital marketing - something I have been procrastinating for a long time.

Hopefully, this will teach me the skills that will help me a long way with my current and other upcoming businesses, along with making some passive income, if it does!

Thank you, sir, for providing the insight!

On the Flipside, ETSY has prohibited my country from opening a store on its platform otherwise it would be much easier for me to reach a larger international audience!

Is there any viable alternative to Etsy, in your opinion?

Ebay might work.

 

[21elnegocio]

I narrowed chargebacks to being largely a result of niche. Even a 100% moneyback guarantee didn't stop chargebacks. One dude charged back around $1k of purchases over 5 transactions spread out across several months. He opened 5 separate charge backs and won them all. So I'll target a different niche with a different product this time.

I scrapped my Wordpress site about 20 minutes ago. I'm going forward with Shopify for this one.

hello Lex,
Any updates

 

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[Lex DeVille]

hello Lex,
Any updates

I started a separate thread for updates. You can find the link a few posts back.

 

[21elnegocio]

I started a separate thread for updates. You can find the link a few posts back.

Got it thank you

Checked it out, I have a question. Why did you stop selling digital products if they are easier than physical products? Why the change up if you dont mind me asking.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Got it thank you

Checked it out, I have a question. Why did you stop selling digital products if they are easier than physical products? Why the change up if you dont mind me asking.

I didn't stop selling digital products.

 

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[Wael]

1. Vous n'êtes pas obligé d'utiliser Wordpress.
La plupart d’entre vous devraient utiliser Shopify pour ne pas avoir à apprendre Wordpress. Je n'utilise pas Shopify car je suis rapide avec Wordpress. Si vous avez un budget limité, vous pouvez tirer parti de sites comme Etsy ou d'autres marchés numériques qui facturent peu ou pas de frais initiaux. Le seul problème, c’est que vous manquez de contrôle.

Can I use themeforest instead of WordPress? and later for the hosting i can use Netlify.