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

[Lex DeVille]

Can't say I have ever fallen prey to a cult.

If you were in one, you wouldn't believe you were in one. That's the trap.

I think it's important to ask how someone gets into a cult. Especially someone who has studied cults way too much. Intelligent people are the MOST likely to find themselves in cults. It happens because an intelligent person can reason that there are things they simply do not understand.

If the path to understanding is to *do the thing* that the system promotes, then the only way to truly know is to do the thing. For instance, maybe psychedelics are the path to experiencing god. If you've never done them, how can you say it isn't? So you become open to testing this new idea, and in that openness, you've completed the "unfreezing" part of the "unfreeze, change, refreeze" systematic belief/identity change process.

It's difficult for someone to just believe or to even have faith in something they do not have evidence for. So how do you get there? You have to suspend your disbelief. It's like when you go to the movies or open an interesting fiction novel. For a time, you are willing to shut off your analytical mind so you can enjoy the experience for what it is intended to be.

Unfortunately, the cult system is designed to capitalize on that openness. Thus, millions of people are part of cults of different varieties today. That doesn't mean they're all bad. But when a cult is essentially asking you to give up life as you know it in service for their cause in the hopes of a reward after death...that's a big ask, so you'd better be sure.

 

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[jwest95]

Hey Lex! Apologies if you've already answered this question...
If you find a winning product on Etsy (let's say) that you want to 'recreate', do you buy that product so you can look at it deeper and see what's good about it, why it works, etc? Or do you just create a product based off of the sales page?

Cheers!
-Josh

 

[Lex DeVille]

Hey Lex! Apologies if you've already answered this question...
If you find a winning product on Etsy (let's say) that you want to 'recreate', do you buy that product so you can look at it deeper and see what's good about it, why it works, etc? Or do you just create a product based off of the sales page?

Cheers!
-Josh

Probably not. I'll look at their listing and see what I can improve. We won't target the same people anyway, so it doesn't matter. The people who will buy my product will not buy their product (because mine is available), but their people MIGHT buy my product.

 

[jwest95]

Probably not. I'll look at their listing and see what I can improve. We won't target the same people anyway, so it doesn't matter. The people who will buy my product will not buy their product (because mine is available), but their people MIGHT buy my product.

Got it, thanks for your reply!

It sounds like you're creating multiple products for 1 niche / 1 site (eg. an ebook, a recurring subscription, etc) - have I got this correct?

And finally, in terms of product creation do you simply do your own research when it comes to recreating a winning product? I can imagine it's easier if you already have knowledge of the topic!

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Got it, thanks for your reply!

It sounds like you're creating multiple products for 1 niche / 1 site (eg. an ebook, a recurring subscription, etc) - have I got this correct?

That's one way to do it. I'm not set on doing it one way. For instance, I've had multiple products for multiple niches, and I've had a single product that had many variations for one niche. Depends on what the product is and what the people want/need. For my next attempt, I plan to have multiple products for one niche.

And finally, in terms of product creation do you simply do your own research when it comes to recreating a winning product? I can imagine it's easier if you already have knowledge of the topic!

I'm not sure what kind of research you're referring to. I wouldn't choose a product where I'd need to do extensive research because it would lead to time-wasting. ChatGPT 4 should be able to answer most questions. If not, then the product is not the right product for me.

One thing I think about a lot is the creative angle. Specifically, I ask, "what's the story?" or "What stories might I tell?"

If I can move the person from buying a product to buying a story, then I don't need research. I need creativity. I need ideas. I need to be a better storyteller than the next store.

The niche is a type of story. It's a story people sell themselves about who they are. Really it's the story of who they wish they were. If you wrap your product in a story that reinforces their fantasy, it allows them to escape inward, deeper into their fictional reality. Then they have a strong motivation to buy your product because, in a sense, it connects their fantasy with reality.

 

[Homeriscool]

If you were in one, you wouldn't believe you were in one. That's the trap.

I think it's important to ask how someone gets into a cult. Especially, someone who has studied cults way too much. Intelligent people are the MOST likely to find themselves in cults. It happens because an intelligent person can reason that there are things they simply do not understand.

If the path to understanding is to *do the thing* that the system promotes, then the only way to truly know is to do the thing. For instance, maybe psychedelics are the path to experiencing god. If you've never done them, how can you say it isn't? So you become open to testing this new idea, and in that openness, you've completed the "unfreezing" part of the "unfreeze, change, refreeze" systematic belief/identity change process.

It's difficult for someone to just believe or to even have faith in something they do not have evidence for. So how do you get there? You have to suspend your disbelief. It's like when you go to the movies or open an interesting fiction novel. For a time, you are willing to shut off your analytical mind so you can enjoy the experience for what it is intended to be.

Unfortunately, the cult system is designed to capitalize on that openness. Thus, millions of people are part of cults of different varieties today. That doesn't mean they're all bad. But when a cult is essentially asking you to give up life as you know it in service for their cause in the hopes of a reward after death...that's a big ask, so you'd better be sure.

thought provoking....

 

[jwest95]

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.

Hi Lex! I've been working on your ecom method over the last couple of weeks. Shopify store + first product are basically ready for ads. I just have a question about pricing...

I've seen a post where you say you price products from $50 - $300. My first product is based on an Etsy store I found, but their average product price is more like $5-10.

I'm just wondering how I can justify selling a similar product for the pricing you suggested - is this the sort of pricing needed for the ads to be profitable?

Any thoughts you have on this would be appreciated! Thank you

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Hi Lex! I've been working on your ecom method over the last couple of weeks. Shopify store + first product are basically ready for ads. I just have a question about pricing...

I've seen a post where you say you price products from $50 - $300. My first product is based on an Etsy store I found, but their average product price is more like $5-10.

I'm just wondering how I can justify selling a similar product for the pricing you suggested - is this the sort of pricing needed for the ads to be profitable?

Any thoughts you have on this would be appreciated! Thank you

Are you selling their exact product? If not, then their pricing is not your concern. If yes, then you're not following my approach.

Ads can be profitable at a lot of price points. It depends on what you offer and how badly people want/need it.

If you have a product people want and need, then the product justifies the price by the nature of its existence.

This becomes more true if you are the only source for the product due to niching down.

 

[manifestingCEO]

I'm going to try this upcoming month. I have the day off tomorrow so let's see how far I can come.

I'll report back in when it's live and then after 30 days again to show if I have made money from it. Posting this for accountability. Thanks for all the info, super interesting.

 

[OzzieMan]

What you've documented in your INSIDERS thread - is it different than what you've posted here?

 

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[UK_Mike]

what you've documented in the INSIDERS thread - is it different than what you've posted here?

I doubt that Lex would post exactly the same content in two separate places. I'm not an INSIDERS so I don't know, but I'd be surprised, unless it's the responses from other INSIDERS that make the difference.

 

[Timmy C]

I doubt that Lex would post exactly the same content in two separate places. I'm not an INSIDERS so I don't know, but I'd be surprised, unless it's the responses from other INSIDERS that make the difference.

I reckon you could, and I reckon he would, correct me if I'm wrong @Lex DeVille

Change how its marketed, change the style of writing etc.

Not exactly the same I guess, but I can see how it could work.

Scratch that, I read your comment wrong.

Ignore me.

 

[Lex DeVille]

what you've documented in the INSIDERS thread - is it different than what you've posted here?

Here you see the result of the process. On the inside, you see the part before I knew this could even work. You also see the challenges I worked through and the decisions I came to for each one as I worked through them, because I documented my progress as I was going through it, not in retrospect.

I didn't start with the intent to create this kind of income system. I intended to do something more like what @MTF is doing in his recent progress thread. You don't see that part here.

Now, I mostly post here because the threads have merged enough in content. I only use the other thread if there's a specific challenge and I want suggestions or to document things I wouldn't talk about on the outside.

 

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[Andy Black]

I've not followed this thread recently @Lex DeVille. Are you still selling digital products via Google Ads? Are you still just doing search or have you had a play with Performance Max campaigns, or remarking on the Google Display Network? Or YouTube Ads?

 

[Lex DeVille]

I've not followed this thread recently @Lex DeVille. Are you still selling digital products via Google Ads? Are you still just doing search or have you had a play with Performance Max campaigns, or remarking on the Google Display Network? Or YouTube Ads?

Right now I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off as I attempt to stabilize my income after making a series of poor business choices in the name of religion.

I'm not running ads to anything because I don't have anything to run ads to.

I have an idea for my next product, but I need to restabilize, and reposition myself (plus there's a learning curve). As a parent, I should prioritize stability over risk most of the time. Unfortunately, I took a huge risk because a book told me to, and now I have almost no income and only myself to blame. I have to fix that first.

 

[Andy Black]

Right now I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off as I attempt to stabilize my income after making a series of poor business choices in the name of religion.

I'm not running ads to anything because I don't have anything to run ads to.

I have an idea for my next product, but I need to restabilize, and reposition myself (plus there's a learning curve). As a parent, I should prioritize stability over risk most of the time. Unfortunately, I took a huge risk because a book told me to, and now I have almost no income and only myself to blame. I have to fix that first.

Oh poop. I didn't realise that.

My first thought is people would often do better if they approach it the other way.

Instead of looking for products to sell, see if you can get a steady stream of visitors with similar search intent, and figure out if you can sell them anything.

It can fail cheap too. Load campaigns with $5/day budget and discover there's no search volume, or you have to bid high to get any impressions.

I literally did that with a friend who had an idea. We loaded campaigns in the US and, after maybe $50 spend, I recommended he kill the idea and try something else.

Does that help?

I've been mulling over doing a call/workshop on this. If anyone's interested reply here and let me know. If it's a thing I'll schedule it, or create a video on it.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Oh poop. I didn't realise that.

My first thought is people would often do better if they approach it the other way.

Instead of looking for products to sell, see if you can get a steady stream of visitors with similar search intent, and figure out if you can sell them anything.

It can fail cheap too. Load campaigns with $5/day budget and discover there's no search volume, or you have to bid high to get any impressions.

I literally did that with a friend who had an idea. We loaded campaigns in the US and, after maybe $50 spend, I recommended he kill the idea and try something else.

Does that help?

I've been mulling over doing a call/workshop on this. If anyone's interested reply here and let me know. If it's a thing I'll schedule it, or create a video on it.

The product is already tested. The market is huge and wanting. It's a big problem that virtually everyone has.

Ads will work for sure because a lot of people search for this. But the product will take time to create and I need to position myself a bit differently before people will buy it from me.

Maybe those are excuses a little too. I'm nervous about taking on any risk right now. I have thousands more dollars going out than coming in and being in an upside-down position is not how I like to live or operate.

 

[Lex DeVille]

This is both my literal and metaphorical life right now lol

 

[DNA]

Oh poop. I didn't realise that.

My first thought is people would often do better if they approach it the other way.

Instead of looking for products to sell, see if you can get a steady stream of visitors with similar search intent, and figure out if you can sell them anything.

It can fail cheap too. Load campaigns with $5/day budget and discover there's no search volume, or you have to bid high to get any impressions.

I literally did that with a friend who had an idea. We loaded campaigns in the US and, after maybe $50 spend, I recommended he kill the idea and try something else.

Does that help?

I've been mulling over doing a call/workshop on this. If anyone's interested reply here and let me know. If it's a thing I'll schedule it, or create a video on it.

Yes, I would love to learn more about this!

 

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[Andy Black]

Ads will work for sure because a lot of people search for this.

Get something running now? Even to a simple signup page? Find out if your hypothesis is correct (that a lot of people search for it and you can get a steady trickle/stream to your site).

 

[Timmy C]

Right now I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off as I attempt to stabilize my income after making a series of poor business choices in the name of religion.

I'm not running ads to anything because I don't have anything to run ads to.

I have an idea for my next product, but I need to restabilize, and reposition myself (plus there's a learning curve). As a parent, I should prioritize stability over risk most of the time. Unfortunately, I took a huge risk because a book told me to, and now I have almost no income and only myself to blame. I have to fix that first.

It's ok man, you are a very talented business person, and you make things happen.
You will bounce back.

 

[Taktik]

Oh poop. I didn't realise that.

My first thought is people would often do better if they approach it the other way.

Instead of looking for products to sell, see if you can get a steady stream of visitors with similar search intent, and figure out if you can sell them anything.

It can fail cheap too. Load campaigns with $5/day budget and discover there's no search volume, or you have to bid high to get any impressions.

I literally did that with a friend who had an idea. We loaded campaigns in the US and, after maybe $50 spend, I recommended he kill the idea and try something else.

Does that help?

I've been mulling over doing a call/workshop on this. If anyone's interested reply here and let me know. If it's a thing I'll schedule it, or create a video on it.

I am interested in learning more about this as well.

 

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[yassir]

@Andy Black @Lex DeVille
Could you explain your optimization process?
For example, how many clicks should an ad group get before you decide to stop it if there are no conversions?
Do you stop the entire ad group, including all associated search terms, or simply the search terms that aren't doing well?
How do you decide when to end a campaign and start testing a fresh idea?

Your answers will help me a lot because I'm running a campaign but I don't know what to do on the optimization phase

Thank you so much

 

[Andy Black]

@Andy Black @Lex DeVille
Could you explain your optimization process?
For example, how many clicks should an ad group get before you decide to stop it if there are no conversions?
Do you stop the entire ad group, including all associated search terms, or simply the search terms that aren't doing well?
How do you decide when to end a campaign and start testing a fresh idea?

Your answers will help me a lot because I'm running a campaign but I don't know what to do on the optimization phase

Thank you so much

1) I don't use hard and fast rules like how many clicks an ad group has.

2) Understand the difference between search terms and keywords.

Look at the search terms you're showing for.

You don't even need clicks sometimes to know it's not working. Sometimes the search terms just aren't good enough. Then you adjust (change keywords, or keyword match type, and/or add negatives).

Sometimes the search terms show more keywords to bid on - either more long-tail versions, or completely different ones.

Try to calculate estimated search volume for your keywords (impressions divided by impression share). Maybe this shows there's not enough search volume to justify the whole project.?

Or maybe your CPCs are too high for the volume?

I killed a project recently because it looked like there wasn't enough volume for the CPCs we were prepared to pay, even after we'd spotted long-tail search terms and build campaigns around those.

 

[sai@fast]

Thank you for sharing this. I have been overcomplicating things and your article just brought me down to focus and do just enough. I love the simplicity in which you have articulated this. Thanks a ton for sharing and inspiring us.

 

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[Ywan]

4. Use Google Ads to help you find a good niche.
At ads.google.com you can create a free Google Ads account. You DO have to enter your payment information and create a campaign, but just pause the campaign after you create it so you don't get billed. Now use the "Tools & Settings" menu at the top and the "Discover New Keywords" option to search for niches. If you find a niche keyword with 1,000+ searches per month, that's good enough to move forward with the niche.

I am really having a hard time finding good niche keywords/products with the Google Ads keyword tool.
Whenever I enter the combination of niche and possible product, the numbers drop to under 1,000 searches per month (most of the time it is less than 100). I am already searching for weeks and it seems like I can't find a good product.

Is that part of the process? Or am I focusing too much on finding something that has 1000+ searches per month and overlooking other potential products?

Maybe someone can give me some tips. Thanks.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Or am I focusing too much on finding something that has 1000+ searches per month and overlooking other potential products?

You're focusing too much on not failing. Makes you scared to pick a product and try to sell it. The subconscious says if you never choose, you can never fail. But it's wrong. Inaction is the greatest failure.

It's like those Gary Halbert letter-writing wannabes. Spend months hand-copying letters preparing for paid clients. But the subconscious whispers in their ear, "You're not ready. Learn more." So they copy more letters. Copying for months. Months become years. Years become never.

 

[Lex DeVille]

The idea behind this thread is to find a digital product that already sells well. Then do it better in some way.

Niching down is one way to do it better.

There are many ways.

• Improve the product's design
• Add features people want
• Improve delivery of the product
• Offer a better price
• Bundle the product with another product(s)
• Offer bonuses, add-ons, upsells
• Make your product more engaging
• Give people credibility (i.e. a certificate of achievement for a course)
• Make the product say something about the owner (think NFTs)
• Make it shareable
• Give people a way to make money from doing business with you
• etc.

Put your thinking caps on. You don't even have to do it better. All you have to do is get some of the people who already want the product to come to you for it.

 

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[Andy Black]

You don't even have to do it better. All you have to do is get some of the people who already want the product to come to you for it.

^^ I keep saying this. If they find you when they're looking then that can be enough.

 

[Banny]

hey Lex. i copy and implemented your strategy, the digital product i created didn't get any sale. like zero sales, and i have used upto $50 on adds.

what kind of digital product do you recommend?