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

[BizyDad]

Just so you know I’ve started building another product and following this to the T to see what happens. I’ll either prove you wrong or make an income. Lol

Progress thread or it didn't happen. Lol.

 

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[Cojo]

After creating some digital products, I found out etsy isn't supported in my country. Damn.

 

[Lex DeVille]

After creating some digital products, I found out etsy isn't supported in my country. Damn.

Sell on a different platform or marketplace.

Platforms that allow digital products:

• Gumroad (www.gumroad.com)
• Sellfy (www.sellfy.com)
• Easy Digital Downloads (www.easydigitaldownloads.com) - WordPress plugin
• Shopify (www.shopify.com) - with digital product apps like Digital Downloads or SendOwl
• Podia (www.podia.com)
• FetchApp (www.fetchapp.com)
• SendOwl (www.sendowl.com)
• E-junkie (www.e-junkie.com)
• Payhip (www.payhip.com)
• DPD (www.getdpd.com)
• WooCommerce (www.woocommerce.com) - WordPress plugin with digital product support
• Selz (www.selz.com)
• FastSpring (www.fastspring.com)
• DigiStore24 (www.digistore24.com)
• Squarespace (www.squarespace.com) - With digital product support
• Wix (www.wix.com) - With digital product support
• Weebly (www.weebly.com) - With digital product support
• Ecwid (www.ecwid.com) - With digital product support
• BigCommerce (www.bigcommerce.com) - With digital product support
• Magento (www.magento.com) - With digital product support
• PrestaShop (www.prestashop.com) - With digital product support
• OpenCart (www.opencart.com) - With digital product support
• Zyro (www.zyro.com) - With digital product support
• MemberPress (www.memberpress.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• Restrict Content Pro (restrictcontentpro.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• Paid Memberships Pro (www.paidmembershipspro.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• S2Member (s2member.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• MemberMouse (membermouse.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• LifterLMS (www.lifterlms.com) - WordPress learning management system
• LearnDash (www.learndash.com) - WordPress learning management system
• Thinkific (www.thinkific.com) - For online courses

Marketplaces

• Udemy (www.udemy.com) - For online courses
• Teachable (www.teachable.com) - For online courses
• Skillshare (www.skillshare.com) - For online courses
• Envato Market (market.envato.com) - For digital assets, such as web templates, graphics, and music
• Creative Market (www.creativemarket.com) - For digital design assets like fonts, graphics, and templates
• iStock (www.istockphoto.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Pond5 (www.pond5.com) - For stock video, music, and sound effects
• Etsy (www.etsy.com) - For digital art, printables, and patterns (not specifically focused on digital products but allows them)
• Fiverr (www.fiverr.com) - For digital services, including design, marketing, and content creation
• GraphicRiver (graphicriver.net) - For graphic design resources
• ThemeForest (themeforest.net) - For website themes and templates
• CodeCanyon (codecanyon.net) - For code scripts and plugins
• AudioJungle (audiojungle.net) - For music and sound effects
• VideoHive (videohive.net) - For stock video footage and motion graphics
• PhotoDune (photodune.net) - For stock photography
• 3DOcean (3docean.net) - For 3D models and materials
• TurboSquid (www.turbosquid.com) - For 3D models
• CGTrader (www.cgtrader.com) - For 3D models
• ArtStation Marketplace (www.artstation.com/marketplace) - For digital art resources
• DesignBundles (www.designbundles.net) - For digital design resources
• FontBundles (www.fontbundles.net) - For fonts
• Motion Array (www.motionarray.com) - For video templates, stock footage, and audio
• Daz 3D (www.daz3d.com) - For 3D models and assets
• Reverb (reverb.com) - For digital audio software and plugins
• Vexels (www.vexels.com) - For graphic design resources
• VectorStock (www.vectorstock.com) - For vector graphics
• Dreamstime (www.dreamstime.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Depositphotos (depositphotos.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Can Stock Photo (www.canstockphoto.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Bigstock (www.bigstockphoto.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Alamy (www.alamy.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Snapwire (www.snapwi.re) - For stock photos
• Foap (www.foap.com) - For stock photos and video

 

[Lex DeVille]

The ad appeal was successful. I'm no longer restricted.

I'm running 10 ads for a total budget of $10/day.

One ad outperforms the others in getting clicks, but I haven't pulled a sale yet.

Some of those people reach the checkout page, so I may need to adjust something on my checkout page.

For some reason, PayPal isn't working on checkout.

I may need to switch to ThriveCart from WooCommerce to help move people through to a sell.

Now that I'm getting clicks, I need to capture more of these people onto an email list.

So my next two actions will be:

1. Create a lead magnet to catch opt-ins.
2. Add ThriveCart

 

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[BellaPippin]

Progress thread or it didn't happen. Lol.

I will! I figured I’d make the product first. I don’t want to start it and then be inactive for a month while I’m coding…

 

[BellaPippin]

I may need to switch to ThriveCart from WooCommerce to help move people through to a sell.

Is it more user friendly or..?

 

[BellaPippin]

Another thing I’m curious about.

Have you at any point so far thought “this doesn’t make sense/won’t work/lots of competition”

I know there’s self-doubt going around always but I mean it like…bear with me here… like your mind thinks it has evidence to support the thought right?

First it sounds good then you see how many website themes/self care checklists/digital planner files/procreate brushes are out there and the overwhelm comes. How and why would you even land a sale other than luck.

Can you tell I’m a bit down today. Lol. I’m struggling to press post but I’m going to cause I want to hear what people say.

 

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[BizyDad]

Sell on a different platform or marketplace.

Platforms that allow digital products:

• Gumroad (www.gumroad.com)
• Sellfy (www.sellfy.com)
• Easy Digital Downloads (www.easydigitaldownloads.com) - WordPress plugin
• Shopify (www.shopify.com) - with digital product apps like Digital Downloads or SendOwl
• Podia (www.podia.com)
• FetchApp (www.fetchapp.com)
• SendOwl (www.sendowl.com)
• E-junkie (www.e-junkie.com)
• Payhip (www.payhip.com)
• DPD (www.getdpd.com)
• WooCommerce (www.woocommerce.com) - WordPress plugin with digital product support
• Selz (www.selz.com)
• FastSpring (www.fastspring.com)
• DigiStore24 (www.digistore24.com)
• Squarespace (www.squarespace.com) - With digital product support
• Wix (www.wix.com) - With digital product support
• Weebly (www.weebly.com) - With digital product support
• Ecwid (www.ecwid.com) - With digital product support
• BigCommerce (www.bigcommerce.com) - With digital product support
• Magento (www.magento.com) - With digital product support
• PrestaShop (www.prestashop.com) - With digital product support
• OpenCart (www.opencart.com) - With digital product support
• Zyro (www.zyro.com) - With digital product support
• MemberPress (www.memberpress.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• Restrict Content Pro (restrictcontentpro.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• Paid Memberships Pro (www.paidmembershipspro.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• S2Member (s2member.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• MemberMouse (membermouse.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• LifterLMS (www.lifterlms.com) - WordPress learning management system
• LearnDash (www.learndash.com) - WordPress learning management system
• Thinkific (www.thinkific.com) - For online courses

Marketplaces

• Udemy (www.udemy.com) - For online courses
• Teachable (www.teachable.com) - For online courses
• Skillshare (www.skillshare.com) - For online courses
• Envato Market (market.envato.com) - For digital assets, such as web templates, graphics, and music
• Creative Market (www.creativemarket.com) - For digital design assets like fonts, graphics, and templates
• iStock (www.istockphoto.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Pond5 (www.pond5.com) - For stock video, music, and sound effects
• Etsy (www.etsy.com) - For digital art, printables, and patterns (not specifically focused on digital products but allows them)
• Fiverr (www.fiverr.com) - For digital services, including design, marketing, and content creation
• GraphicRiver (graphicriver.net) - For graphic design resources
• ThemeForest (themeforest.net) - For website themes and templates
• CodeCanyon (codecanyon.net) - For code scripts and plugins
• AudioJungle (audiojungle.net) - For music and sound effects
• VideoHive (videohive.net) - For stock video footage and motion graphics
• PhotoDune (photodune.net) - For stock photography
• 3DOcean (3docean.net) - For 3D models and materials
• TurboSquid (www.turbosquid.com) - For 3D models
• CGTrader (www.cgtrader.com) - For 3D models
• ArtStation Marketplace (www.artstation.com/marketplace) - For digital art resources
• DesignBundles (www.designbundles.net) - For digital design resources
• FontBundles (www.fontbundles.net) - For fonts
• Motion Array (www.motionarray.com) - For video templates, stock footage, and audio
• Daz 3D (www.daz3d.com) - For 3D models and assets
• Reverb (reverb.com) - For digital audio software and plugins
• Vexels (www.vexels.com) - For graphic design resources
• VectorStock (www.vectorstock.com) - For vector graphics
• Dreamstime (www.dreamstime.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Depositphotos (depositphotos.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Can Stock Photo (www.canstockphoto.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Bigstock (www.bigstockphoto.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Alamy (www.alamy.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Snapwire (www.snapwi.re) - For stock photos
• Foap (www.foap.com) - For stock photos and video

But Lex, which one should I choose?!?! Hahahaha.

procreate brushes

Wow, I had no idea...

Another thing I’m curious about.

Have you at any point so far thought “this doesn’t make sense/won’t work/lots of competition”

I know there’s self-doubt going around always but I mean it like…bear with me here… like your mind thinks it has evidence to support the thought right?

First it sounds good then you see how many website themes/self care checklists/digital planner files/procreate brushes are out there and the overwhelm comes. How and why would you even land a sale other than luck.

Can you tell I’m a bit down today. Lol. I’m struggling to press post but I’m going to cause I want to hear what people say.

Pick one that you think might work. Commit a hundred bucks of ads to finding out.

You don't know why people buy what they buy. So you feel like you can't make this happen.

Pick something where you do know why people would buy from you. What problem are you solving here? Have something like that, create the item and run the ads. The ads should write themselves if you know what problem you are solving.

You got this Bel.

 

[BellaPippin]

But Lex, which one should I choose?!?! Hahahaha.



Wow, I had no idea...



Pick one that you think might work. Commit a hundred bucks of ads to finding out.

You don't know why people buy what they buy. So you feel like you can't make this happen.

Pick something where you do know why people would buy from you. What problem are you solving here? Have something like that, create the item and run the ads. The ads should write themselves if you know what problem you are solving.

You got this Bel.

A lot of them sound like they work when first chosen. Then the good ol noggin starts double guessing it actually needs to reinvent the wheel because there’s a lot out in the market already

 

[BizyDad]

A lot of them sound like they work when first chosen. Then the good ol noggin starts double guessing it actually needs to reinvent the wheel because there’s a lot out in the market already

Does that mean they won't buy from you? Do they only buy from one person? Maybe they buy elsewhere, hate it, and then buy from you. Hve you actually TRIED any of the competition's stuff?

procreate brushes

On second thought, don't answer that. I don't wanna know... Lol.

What problem are you solving? How are you nurturing things with potential customers so they say this chick, this company, this brand really gets my problem and I'm going to use this one over all the rest.

But that's not even where you START. You start by not doing those things and testing with $100. If they buy when you have something simple, then you KNOW it is worth spending time and iterating.

Lex's method will filter out less successful ideas for a low cost of time and some relatively small dollar amount.

 

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[BellaPippin]

On second thought, don't answer that. I don't wanna know... Lol.

Procreate is a drawing app, dummy!

 

[Lex DeVille]

Is it more user friendly or..?

Yes and no.

The main reason I'll probably switch is I'm having trouble with WooCommerce. Out of the box, PayPal isn't working right, and when I test common solutions (i.e. deactivating other plugins, switching themes, etc.) I couldn't find any reason for the error. I've used the same setup on other sites without problems and I don't want to mess with it right now.

ThriveCart is designed for digital products. The biggest pitfall with ThriveCart is there is no shopping cart feature, and it's not easy to make bulk adjustments to products. Beyond that, it's an excellent payment solution. When you've got 80+ products like my first site has, then it's a problem lol.

Another thing I’m curious about.

Have you at any point so far thought “this doesn’t make sense/won’t work/lots of competition”

I know there’s self-doubt going around always but I mean it like…bear with me here… like your mind thinks it has evidence to support the thought right?

First it sounds good then you see how many website themes/self care checklists/digital planner files/procreate brushes are out there and the overwhelm comes. How and why would you even land a sale other than luck.

Can you tell I’m a bit down today. Lol. I’m struggling to press post but I’m going to cause I want to hear what people say.

I'm starting to think that about my current product. It's not a product with a lot of sales anywhere, but I've sold it through my other website before so I figured it could work as a standalone product for a different niche.

Once you have web hosting, setting up a website to test ideas costs about $9 plus the cost of ads. I'll probably run $500 in ads to see what happens because Google only offers the $500 credit if you run $500 in ads within 60 days. Ideally, I'd get sales before reaching $500 so I can dial in the ads more and more until I start to come out on top.

I don't scope out competitors. Ads get you to the top of Google. If people buy the product and they see you at the top of Google, they will make it to your website and can buy your products.

A Note on Niches

We are targeting niches, but not niche products. For our purposes, niches represent the customer's identity.

Industry = Meditation Audio
Bad Niche = Wind Chime Meditations
Good Niche = Goth Meditations
Good Adjacent Niche = Punk Meditations

You want a product that can target a specific identity. This is where you find your unique entry point (UEP) for the market. Find a product that sells well, and then go a layer deeper to the identity level that people crave but can't get products for (or if the product already sells to that level, go to an adjacent identity where the product doesn't already exist).

Industry = Girlfriend Role Play Audio
Bad Niche = Girlfriend Role Play at the Beach
Good Niche = Serial Killer Girlfriend Role Play
Good Adjacent Niche = Spree Killer Girlfriend Role Play

Serial killers are popular with some people, but there aren't many products for those who drool over serial killer fantasies, so when you find a product that those people would normally buy, and then you target their identity with that product, it makes it a no-brainer for them.

 

[BizyDad]

Good Niche = Serial Killer Girlfriend Role Play
Good Adjacent Niche = Spree Killer Girlfriend Role Play

There's a difference? Lol.

Of course Lex has a high score. He’s the embodiment of Marquis de Sade John Wick on the forum.

Pretty much nailed it.

 

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[Skroob]

Another thing I’m curious about.

Have you at any point so far thought “this doesn’t make sense/won’t work/lots of competition”

I know there’s self-doubt going around always but I mean it like…bear with me here… like your mind thinks it has evidence to support the thought right?

First it sounds good then you see how many website themes/self care checklists/digital planner files/procreate brushes are out there and the overwhelm comes. How and why would you even land a sale other than luck.

Can you tell I’m a bit down today. Lol. I’m struggling to press post but I’m going to cause I want to hear what people say.

I am definitely second guessing what I'm doing. None of the information I'm offering is unavailable anywhere else, it's all been said and done before, why would anyone trust me, etc etc.

I'm choosing to ignore that and keep going. I'm reminding myself that I do have real-world experience and information to bring to this, that consolidating information and making it easy to consume does add value, and that even if it doesn't work (or it turns out I hate doing this kind of work) it's not expensive or time consuming to try. And the upside is, at minimum, a new set of knowledge I didn't have before.

 

[ramony]

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.

This is amazing! gold!

 

[Taktik]

Hey Lex, thank you for this incredible thread and the extremely valuable information.

I already researched possible products and found one that could work. I also created a Google ads account and started researching different niches, but I am a bit confused. I hope you can enlighten me. Let me quote you:

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.

Ask yourself, "If this shop sells it's products to EVERYONE then who is a niche of EVERYONE?" Accountants? Wedding Planners? Executive Assistants? University Professors? If you want extra reassurance, then use Google Ads keyword tool to search for the niche or the product + niche to see how many searches it gets per month.

So I looked different things up on the Keyword Planner:

The average monthly searches for the niches I looked into are 10k to 100k per month; some niches also have a higher search volume (if I only look at the niche keywords alone).

As soon as I combine the niche keyword with the product, the average search volume per month is 0-10 searches in most cases (sometimes 10-100).

Maybe I understood something wrong.
Should the product + niche have more than 1000 searches per month, or was that just for the niche keyword alone?

Or is it more trial and error, aka picking a product with proven sales and a niche with 1000+ searches per month and see what happens if I try to sell the product to that niche (even if the combined keywords only have 0-10 searches per month)?

Thanks a lot.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Should the product + niche have more than 1000 searches per month, or was that just for the niche keyword alone?

Or is it more trial and error, aka picking a product with proven sales and a niche with 1000+ searches per month and see what happens if I try to sell the product to that niche (even if the combined keywords only have 0-10 searches per month)?

It would be best if the niche + product has 1k searches per month in my opinion, but it's also possible that people in the niche don't know that a niche version of the product is available. So the best way is to test both search terms and find out what gets clicks and purchases.