You Can Make Money Online

But can you make predictable revenue?

Black Friday Sale Continued

• Creators Getting Paid Mastermind-Details in the linked to post

  • Payment Plans-will be available after the deal ends. Reach out to me at: thebrandbuildinglab@gmail.com for more details.

January Calendar

• Free Workshop: Creating an Impactful (And Paid) Vision for Your Online Brand in 2024-Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 6:00 pm MTN/8:00 pm EST

• IN-PERSON Workshop-How to Build and Grow a Newsletter that Pays (in 2024) I break down what works, what doesn’t and mistakes to avoid in 2024. Every person who runs an online brand who is serious about making money within their brand MUST have an email list or newsletter.

  • Leave the workshop understanding how to monetize your specific newsletter

    • Learn Michelle’s affiliate strategy

    • Get a chance to ask Michelle questions specific to your newsletter

    • Learn how to “sell” within your newsletter

    • How often to send out your newsletter and more

    • Cost: $97 (sale price until Friday, December 1, 2023)

    • When: Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 10:00 am MTN/12:00 pm EST

      • Zoom details will be shared the week of the workshop

      • Plan for at least 1.5-2 hours

Everyone Can Make Money Online

But….

There have been several moments in my online business journey when I absolutely loved my business and moments when I hated it. Growing an online brand is such an attractive business model for so many reasons:

• There’s a low barrier to entry-You just need a way to interface with the internet whether it’s using your cell phone, a tablet/Ipad, Chromebook, PC or MAC. It’s easy to work on your idea.

• You don’t need a ton of customers to achieve success-There’s a reason why you hear businesses and especially online content creators talking about having 1,000 true fans.

• Duplicate ideas CAN and DO make money-I often hear people who express concern about launching a product or service that is similar to someone else’s. I typically counter with the following:

  • How many coffee shops are there in your town?

  • How many burger shops are there in your town?

  • How many clothing stores are there in your town?

    • My point? On a regular basis I stop by different coffee shops, hamburger spots and clothing stores and I’m ok. Millions of other customers do the same thing. The most important thing is to figure out what distinguishes you from the other brands. Here are some examples below…

      • For food based businesses you could differentiate yourself by the ingredients you use, the service you provide or the locations that you’re based out of. Trader Joe’s has a ridiculous amount of content online about its parking spots-always a tight and tricky fit.

      • For a coffee shop-I often say that if I had a bricks and mortar business it would be a coffee shop. I even have a thing where I have to visit shops when I’m on trips. What I look for: coffee quality, service, savory and sweet items on the menu and vibes.

You Can Make Money Online

One of the most surprising things that I’ve experienced is making money online. Before I quit working at the university I had begun making money freelance writing, working as a virtual assistant, I earned a little affiliate income and was compensated in various one off opportunities. It was so wild to me that I could log onto my MAC and just work on something that was all mine.

Growing Predictable Income is Different

But, the most humbling and painful lesson that I learned is that making money online is not the same as building predictable and sustainable revenue online. They are two different beasts that require different skillsets.

And if you’re trying to serve a community that you care about, continue with a brand or business that you’ve been working on then you HAVE to grow predictable revenue that comes in each month.

Fortunately, the initial amount of predictable income doesn’t have to be massive. It just has to be consistent. And, I’m talking about two different types of income:

• Services you provide for others-This includes freelancing, coaching, social media management, group facilitation, event planning, brand sponsorships, brand partnerships, etc.

• Scalable products-Newsletters, ebooks, workshops, courses, affiliate income, memberships, websites. What I love about scalable products is that you can create the product once and the grow it over time. This is the revenue stream that you need and MUST focus on.

The First $500 Dollars

Of scalable income. The first month where you start waking up and you’re receiving money from your ebook, printable, affiliates (etc) it feels so amazing. I thought I would share what it was like for me and some things with my business that changed as a result of that first $500 of scalable income and what to watch out for and making money online vs. scale.

I Share More in the Following Video…

Some thoughts about offering services plus building recurring revenue within your brand. Real talk, it takes time.