Post: #1

Hey guys,

I am starting this thread to track progress on my online business journey. I have joined a few IM forums, now it's just a matter of putting what i learn into practice. I know there are many guys on this forum who have similar aspirations as myself.

To clarify, freedom is my ultimate goal. Geographical, financial, And time freedom.

With that being said I am no expert. I am not a coder, quant, or affiliate wiz....I am a regular dude who is ready to take charge of his life. At the same time I have no expectation of over night success, I am ready to fail and fail again with the faith that I will learn something new each time.

Perhaps there are other guys in the same boat...feel free to join the thread.

So what is my current project? Well, I am currently leaning between two models. I would love to hear from those guys with more experience....the models I have zoned in on are niche sites and e-commerce. From my research I have found that niche sites can be very time intensive and sometimes see no return if your SEO is off.

I have chosen whitehat (legitimate offers) models because I believe the long-term ROI is significantly higher.

On the other hand e-commerce is quite scaleable, but comes with the challenges of customer service, fulfillment, etc which might be a bit much for beginners. I am rambling at this point....i'll keep you guys posted.

"You cannot navigate a stationary vessel"....this is a quote that has helped me. Perhaps it will help another start their journey as well.

Post: #2

Find something your passionate about in your domain, and things will follow through.

Sometimes chasing money can only get you so far.

I also have the same aspirations as you. Good Luck!

Post: #3

(12-19-2018 09:24 PM)Nolimitz Wrote:  Hey guys,

I am starting this thread to track progress on my online business journey. I have joined a few IM forums, now it's just a matter of putting what i learn into practice. I know there are many guys on this forum who have similar aspirations as myself.

To clarify, freedom is my ultimate goal. Geographical, financial, And time freedom.

With that being said I am no expert. I am not a coder, quant, or affiliate wiz....I am a regular dude who is ready to take charge of his life. At the same time I have no expectation of over night success, I am ready to fail and fail again with the faith that I will learn something new each time.

Perhaps there are other guys in the same boat...feel free to join the thread.

So what is my current project? Well, I am currently leaning between two models. I would love to hear from those guys with more experience....the models I have zoned in on are niche sites and e-commerce. From my research I have found that niche sites can be very time intensive and sometimes see no return if your SEO is off.

I have chosen whitehat (legitimate offers) models because I believe the long-term ROI is significantly higher.

On the other hand e-commerce is quite scaleable, but comes with the challenges of customer service, fulfillment, etc which might be a bit much for beginners. I am rambling at this point....i'll keep you guys posted.

"You cannot navigate a stationary vessel"....this is a quote that has helped me. Perhaps it will help another start their journey as well.

Following. Interested in developing a side hustle here in the States to hopefully get some side income for when I go to grad school.

Post: #4

What's up rooshv forum,

I didn't forget about you guys yet. Just dealing with some personal matters over the holidays. That being said I have bought a domain/wordpress for my niche site project. I am also going to take a stab at dropshipping with the long-term goal of learning the skills necessary to build a brand.

For the niche site I have chosen a high ticket item that is in a hobby category. I have found some valuable information on SEO....which basically boils down to the following:

Keyword in Domain or URL
Keyword in title
Keyword in h tags
Keyword in regular content, but NOT over done. If anything under due it…content is the smallest factor of these.

*I created a blog back in May and just by accident followed these four steps....and my page is at the top of google. Pure luck. also note the blog is not a money making project just an outlet for writing*

I have decided that I will work on writing articles for the niche site the first half of the week (mon-thurs) and then pursue ecommerce (aka dropshipping) on the weekend (fri-sun) with maintenance of marketing camps during week. Yes...I have shiny object syndrome currently, but I am throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks. I will happily go all in on one or the other if I get proof of concept. Granted with the niche site that can take a lot longer.

For those of you on the edge of starting this journey I leave you with this quote regarding execution from The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracian (book that RG used for 48 laws of power):

"Be Resolute

Bad execution of your designs does less harm than irresolution in forming them. Streams do less harm flowing than when dammed up. There are some men so infirm of purpose that they always require direction from others, and this not on account of any perplexity, for they judge clearly, but from sheer incapacity for action. It needs some skill to find out difficulties, but more to find a way out of them. There are others who are never in straits. Their clear judgment and determined character are them for the highest callings: their intelligence tells them where to insert the thin end of the wedge, their resolution how to drive it home. They soon get through anything: as soon as they have done with one sphere of action, they are ready for another. Affianced to Fortune, they make themselves sure of success."

So basically that's my mentality, expect problems and be resolute in solving them. Someone Pm'd me the IM forum I recommend. I am using STM (stack that money for $99/mo) just absorbing info. Some free forums are warrior forum and BHW....

But I would like to mention that my pursuits are white hat as I see much more value (aka lifetime value of the customer) as opposed to churning and burning as is the nature of affiliate marketing. As is the case with dropshipping (long shipping times and shit product).

Anyways, I am currently working a 9 to 5 in cold call boiler room environment...so hungry to get the fuck out of this rat race.

I am rambling, open to thoughts and how you guys are doing on your journey.

Best of luck

Post: #5

I'm not posting on this forum anymore, but I make an exception so I can wish you good luck, and help you with some expectations.

I done affiliate marketing/niche sites for 2 years. And like you I was a total newbie. And let me tell you, my first year was hell. I worked 8 hours per day and made a total of $100. I almost gave up many times.

My second year has been the total opposite. Shit has exploded and I'm halfway to a 5-figure monthly salary. If my current growth continues I will reach 5-figures per month in the next 6 months. Hopefully much sooner.

Bonus: With that kind of income you can live like a fucking king here in Vietnam, where the average monthly salary is about $300.

So my advice is to choose one business model, and don't give up. And ignore the shitty advice above about choosing a niche you're passionate about. I did that, and it just brought me misery. Instead, learn proper keyword research and find niches with high volume and low competition.

Good luck!

Post: #6

(01-03-2019 10:01 PM)Nolimitz Wrote:  *I created a blog back in May and just by accident followed these four steps....and my page is at the top of google. Pure luck. also note the blog is not a money making project just an outlet for writing*

Keep in mind that you may just be seeing these high rankings because of your Google user profile. Rankings are not the same for everyone. Have you set up Google Search Console? That'll give you a better understanding of your rankings.

My domain isn't affiliate marketing (although I do have experience with it), but I do agree with what Buakaw is saying. I too worked my ass off to get started and made like $100 in my first month. You can view that shit as depressing and give up, or you can view it more positively, saying "alright this was my first $100, now let's aim for $1000".

If you want to learn about basic SEO principles, it might be a good idea to register on a platform like Upwork and apply to keyword research jobs. There's loads of SEO agencies on there who are looking to outsource stuff like that.

Believe me, all of these job listings on Upwork get spammed by low quality, non-native English speaking people with no experience from third world countries. Some of the application letters are cringeworthy. I know this, because I'm one of those people who sometimes outsources something on Upwork. I'm not saying these people can't do good work (I know some who do), but if you can't even write a job application in proper English, I'm not going to reply.

If you write a good and honest application letter, you will eventually get somewhere. Do it for free if you need to. Be honest, tell them you're here to learn. In the world of SEO, few things will get you started more quickly (and PROPERLY) than agency experience. You'll get exposed to all kinds of niches and websites (SEO is different for every niche and every country), and you'll have an experienced mentor to teach you the ropes.

This is how I did it myself too. I eventually got a foot in the door with a good digital marketing agency and they started outsourcing basic tasks to me. I listened to their feedback, put in the work and the hours, and gradually increased my rates (I literally started at $5 per hour). I knew absolutely zero about SEO or anything related to digital marketing when I started. Fast forward a couple years and I am now part of the team full time (working location independently) plus have several side projects I am working on for myself.

(01-04-2019 05:47 AM)Buakaw Wrote:  Bonus: With that kind of income you can live like a fucking king here in Vietnam, where the average monthly salary is about $300.

And this is also true by the way. Heh.

Good luck on your journey, I'll be following it.

Post: #7

Getting started on the writing portion of my niche site. Some competition, but it's a higher ticket niche...worth a shot.

Also appears that the affiliate networks have decent commissions. I'll comment on here again after I've got 10 posts up on the niche site.

I was reading Gary Halbert's Boron Letters today at lunch and read something that might help some others (helped me):

"All first attempts are sloppy and lame. Most people will quit after their first experience wit things that don't go so well...KNOW that the first attempt is almost destined to fail and you will learn enough to get a better assessment of the whole picture and what it really takes to attain a goal on your second attempt.

Just that much more ambition will propel you ahead of 95% of everyone walking the earth."

So that's my mentality.

I am also going to take a stab at dropshipping...can't resist the temptations of paid traffic. I'll keep you guys posted.

Why post on here? I feel that it adds an extra layer of accountability to seeing the project through. Would love to hear from other guys starting out.

Post: #8

Can anyone comment on these guys? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCytOqtK...MD14UjhSeQ

I’ve been watching their videos and I must say, their rather easygoing approach and actual numbers (they show their traffic and earnings on the screen in couple of videos) have won me over. They preach more or less content and value only and seem to disregard other techniques.

I’ve have some short stories on Amazon (adult content for women) and writing some 30 articles doesn’t sound that scary. However, I’m very fixed on a topic I feel somewhat comfortable with, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s any money in it.

I’d be very happy if someone could help me vet my idea and give me some feedback. Drop me PM.

Post: #9

I'm also having 2 dropshipping stores at the moment. I don't want to discourage you, but the dropshipping market in the Anglosphere countries is completely saturated at the moment.( expect a lot of competition) Above of that, Countries like USA, Australia etc have one of the highest advertising costs. It will take a lot of time and money till you find a winner and it will even take longer to master facebook advertising. But don't let this stop you from trying, you still can make it. I'm not selling in the Anglosphere anymore for the reasons above.

Don't worry to much about customer service etc ( You can hire people for that on upwork)

Post: #10

@SpursFan741 yeah I just got my shopify store all setup today. Thank you for the suggestion, perhaps I will target Geos outside of USA, CA, and UK then. I was going through a follow-along thread on the forum I use and a guy had posted about reaching a six figure month (revenue). Starting out he said his general strategy was to test 1-2 products per day and then cut them early if they weren't profitable. And then upon finding a winning product his suggestion was to transition to a niche store. He was running $20/day campaigns, curious what your daily budget was?

"Your creative, your angle, & your offers are everything - targeting is not - FB has gotten so good at finding the buyers, a lot of our targeting super broad or even blank targeting. More than a few times, a single creative is the difference between money losing campaign & profitable campaign."

The thread also said to focus on niches you have data on rather than any product you think will sell. Good advice overall.

I know I am probably spreading myself thin, but I also wrote a 1200 page article for my niche site yesterday (I enjoy writing). I used a plugin on wordpress called Yoast to make sure SEO was decent. Granted I am having a difficult time with the site layout. I am sure google and youtube will come through clutch.

I do believe that even if I lose a $1000-1500 it will have been worth it to learn facebook ads. Paid traffic can be a business in itself. Anyways, good luck man.

Post: #11

Be prepared to have to try out different things. It might take a long time to get there but along the way you'll learn all kinds of stuff, and one day you'll look back and realize how much you've progressed and how much knowledge you've gained. Think of the process as a training course. Eventually you'll crack it and find yourself able to generate income from pretty much any idea that comes to you.

That's what I tell myself anyway.

Post: #12

Very interesting...any updates? I had a friend in college that did some stuff like this.