Before I got into the fat loss industry, I was a musician (I still play today so who knows what the future holds!). In the past, I tried to make that love an income. My dreams were big, but my pockets ultimately were empty. Eventually I had to do what a lot of musicians do and get a job. Luckily, it ended up being in something else that I love – health and fitness. My job is something I love and would do it for free, but fortunately it pays the bills (and then some).
You might think the field of health and fitness is easy to earn an income off of, but it isn’t that easy. The majority of personal trainers and nutritionists leave the field within 2 years to pursue other avenues. It is filled with competition, which makes it even harder to stand out in the crowd. While the methods of how to make money in the field are simple enough (training, books, sales, supplements, etc), the implementation and success is hard.
My point is, I often see a lot of budding entrepreneurs complain that unless they are in fitness and health or Internet marketing, there is no money in online blogging. This article should help you realize that not only is there money outside of those fields, this is an opportune time to grab some of it.
You Got To Love It
I think anyone in the entrepreneur’s area can admit to one thing – it is mostly trial and error until you get it right.
There is no such thing as an instant success story. Even when “Joe nobody” invents something popular, it isn’t a walk in the park. Think of the endless hours of prototypes, patent documents, lawyers, and more. If you don’t love what you are doing, it is going to be hard to hang through the times where it isn’t always gratifying.
Now, I am not saying everyone that makes decent money loves their job. What I am saying is, statistically speaking, people who love their job make the right amount of money for their life. What your goal should be is to find the ultimate lifestyle for you. Just because this is a site about using the Internet to help create the ultimate freedom, it doesn’t mean you have to be stuck to the computer. It does mean you can use the Internet to help achieve your dreams on another level.
The Real Question Is – What Do You Love?
When it comes to the life direction you are going to lead, it can feel like you are 17 and stuck in a never-ending career day. Don’t despair! I am going to provide you with a method that will help you get closer to understanding what you love.
Step #1 – 20 Questions (or more)
You would be surprised how much you might not know about yourself. What is your favorite color? Not the one you tell other people – the real one. A favorite movie? A favorite hobby? What is something you always wanted to do, but haven’t? What are your top five dream jobs with no limitations? What are the things you love to do? What are your hobbies?
Ask yourself as many questions as you can about who you are on a sheet of paper or document. Then, take the time to sit down and answer those questions as if you were at the world’s most powerful and honest therapy session. You might find out you aren’t exactly who you thought you were.
Step #2 – Look At Your Answers
What are you seeing in the answers? Look at what they are saying about your desires. Maybe it turns out you like things that are uniquely beautiful. Do you like to be intellectually challenged? Are you a movie elitist? Maybe you like board games? Try not to look at the direct answers, but also read between the lines.
Step #3 – Connect Those Questions To A Journey
It is time to look at where those questions and answers lead you. What I want to do is provide you an example of how to turn those answers into an assessment. Take those answers and write down what your top five loves in life are.
For this example, we are going to use a wholly fictional character named Mark. Mark went through his answers and found his top five were –
- Family
- Architecture
- Mountain Biking
- Solving Puzzles
- Relaxing
Turning What You Love Into An Income
Mark’s current job is a sales analyst for a plastics company. This doesn’t fit at all with any of Mark’s dreams or interests. He has been reading online and knows he wants to do something, but what?
Looking at Mark’s list, a few things pop into my mind.
- A blog about any of those 5 things.
- An invention or solution to problems within any of those 5 things.
- Opening a business tailored to enjoyment or solutions to those 5 things.
Mark decides he is going to start a blog about puzzles. He loves all kinds of puzzles from brain teasers to 3D. Mark thinks it would be a relaxing and fun way to talk about them in his free time. He is open to all three options, but this one makes the most sense.
How To Monetize Just About Anything
The hardest part for most people is to figure out their angle for income. Online or off, here are a the golden rules of income.
- You make a product (physical or informational).
- You affiliate/sale products other people have made.
- You provide information/technical consultation service about problems or products.
- You sell advertising space on your website about services or products for other people.
- You receive charity or donations due to your contributions about products or information.
That’s it! When you boil it down to its pure simplicity, this is how you make money anywhere.
- A postal employee provides technical support for a company and in return gets payment.
- A blogger provides information so compelling their traffic garners high-advertising rates.
- A writer creates an informational product and sells it through a bookstore.
Every job is tied to one of those five things.
If we look at Mark’s situation, how can we generate income based on his love of puzzles? Here are a few ideas I had.
Idea #1 – Mark could make his own puzzle
Since Mark knows everything there is to know about puzzles, he can look at what he wants more of and make it himself. Be it a different spin on crosswords or a wood block brain teaser, Mark can invent something new and sell it for profit through his blog.
Idea #2 – Mark could sale other people’s puzzles
Mark could open up the world’s most organized and best puzzle website. Dedicated to finding the world’s best and funniest puzzles with reviews, check-out cart, and more! It can become the definitive puzzle website that he makes a living solely off of advertising and affiliate sales of puzzles.
Idea #3 – Mark could provide solutions and tips for solving puzzles in exchange for a fee
Mark could target other puzzle lovers who want to improve their skills for fun or competitions. He could help them develop better skills and critical thinking through consultations or membership. He could even create an electronic book people could use as a reference and tip guide.
Your Take Home Point
I have no idea about puzzles. There is no Mark. I pulled this out of my brain sitting at Starbucks while debating another tea.
Imagine how deep you can go when it is something you love? Let your imagination run wild with ideas of how you can turn something you love into income. You can also use this to apply to something you are doing, but take it up a notch.
Now I want to hear from you. What are you doing that you love? Are you exploring every angle? Do you have more ideas now about how to put what you love into action? Any tips to offer others?
Leigh Peele
I can’t agree enough with, “it is mostly trial and error until you get it right.”
Most experts claim that they have developed a system that saves years of trial and error.
BIG MISTAKE!
Trial and error has always been the untold secret of successful people.
We are UNIQUE and the system that worked for someone is not guaranteed to work for others. These systems out there can only provide us with keys and ideas that will open our mind to discover our own success formula – through trial and error.
Yeah I agree. When I read that line I had to stop and think whether I agreed with it. I realized that yep, everything I’ve succeeded and failed at has been some form of trial and error process until I reach a conclusion.
That’s a powerful idea and once again reinforces the need for action.
Indeed, it is not the final destination that counts but the “journey”! So I guess trial and error is an integral part of that journey.
I think we should focus on Success and simply expect to increase our success rate daily rather than accept trial and error. In a way everything is a trial because you improve on it later but I don’t personally see the need for error. I don’t think I make any errors. Just mini successes that I can upgrade to bigger successes. I don’t allow for error because it doesn’t exist in my understanding.
I also agree with your comments. There is no single magic “pill”…there has never been. Recently, we have seen a lot of “garbage” on the markets…in almost all categories…be it Internet Marketing, health, fitness, etc…to name a few. Sad thing is that people fall for these gimmicks. Trial and Error has been the time tested “secret” and will always be. Just read the biographies of the super-successful; guys like Gurbaksh Chahal and you will find that 3/4 of their books are filled with their mistakes, from which they learnt and built up empires.
thanks for this article, it kind of hooks in to a few articles that i’ve been writing lately, strangely enough. I remember at the beginning when I was trying to determine what my passion was – I felt so lifeless…. like how could I not know what my passions were? It took being online for a couple of years and developing skills to actually be able to identify my strengths and passions etc…. BUT I can remember how hard it was to begin with.
once again, thanks for such a great read – it was so well written and well explained!
Kat
It’s funny how easy all of these little things we know seem know. I have to constantly remind myself in a lot of areas in life that others don’t. Those “basics” can be some of the greatest knowledge that the “advanced” often neglect to remember.
Very good questioner. But this is suitable only for those people who have the ability to assess themselves. Not for the people like me. I think if some one prepare questions for himself and ask some body else to examine him in the light of these model questions, I think the work will be easy. Thank you
It’s not just doing what you love, however.
You need to also have the huge influx of traffic and other people who tell their friends about your greatness as well.
I have seen stellar sites out there and wondrous products and incredible writings and they just fall of the radar, because they have not made it worth their visitor’ while to tell their friends about their experiences as well.
Loving something is not enough. You also need to have the know-how to get it smack dab in front of other people who not only love it too…but are moved to both buy AND tell their friends about you to boot.
Nice story of “Mark”. We can make money from almost anything but the amount is differ from the competition of advertisers. For example, there are advertisers willing to pay $200 CPC in adwords for recovery disk. There are also advertisers that willing to pay max of $10 CPC in adwords for arts related keywords. Making money from almost anything is easy but how much we are going to make is depending on our niche.
Good message Leigh, so many people out there doing what they need to survive when their true calling is to be involved with something they love and are interested in. You can monetize almost anything as long as there is a niche.
Dwight Anthony
Financially Elite Blog dot Com
Agreed. Almost all niche can be monetize if we know the right way. Sometimes, interviews and reviews like this can be a real eye opener.
Great post! I am definitely pursuing the niche markets where my passions lay. If I didn’t pursue my interests I can see how a person could get burnout real quick. I’m in it for the long haul!
My formula to find my love is to work so hard and never getting tired of it.
Great article Leigh!
I agree. It is so much easier to start a business and make money if you are passionate about what you are doing. Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy. It is usually the passion and drive that carries you through the tough times.
everyone wants to know how to do something and everyone knows how to do something . . . by that rule alone we know that one can monetize pretty much anything. the key ingredient is passion as Leigh states, which gives the individual purpose to go out and do it
Absolutely loved this article, Yaro!
This is the very thing I’ve been talking with a couple of my sisters about. They have become dissatisfied working for others, and I’ve been talking with them about working from their passions instead.
You’re article is perfectly timed and gives me the outside voice of reason for those I care most about.
Thank you!
Susanna
Hi Yaro,
Really useful post!… I launched my site in August 2008, I’ve built a list of 15,000+ people and I have affiliate banners. The income is growing slowly but I think a major impact to my end of year sales would be to introduce my own products.
From your experience what would be the best type of information product to sell?…
Thanks
David
Hey Leigh, Long time no talk, I’ll have to shoot you an email to catch up. I had to laugh when you said that only people who blog about making money online and healthcare can make money..2 funny, I didn’t even know healthcare was included in that group. I asked Yaro recently about that same misconception and he jokingly said something to the effect that the people who blog about making money online are just the ones who talk about it the most.
When I tell people what I do for a living, they often ask me how it’s done or tell me an about a great idea that they have, which 5 minutes later isn’t any closer to becoming a reality than it was before they told me about it. While passion is so important, especially in connecting with your audience, you know as well as I do that it’s action and drive, you absolutely have to make it happen, I am glad you are (i Knew all along you would)
Mitch
What up buddy!? Wow, I can’t believe how great your site looks. It is amazing what you have done in such a short period of time. I would look forward to that email.
Talk about an example of turning what you love into profit. 🙂
Leigh,
Great article. Very thought provoking, even if you think you know who you are and what you love. I think you should be asking these questions not once, but often, because it’s so easy go off track and lose direction. Or is that me…?
Terry
It’s funny you bring this up Terry, because I recently sat down with myself and took a long hard look at what I was doing. I asked all types of questions about my sites, my clients, and who I think I am to them. It was incredibly eye opening, to the point of changing my business model on a pretty big level in the next year.
Non-complacency about knowing who you are is extremely important in my humble opinion.
What I really think doing something you love boils down to is more determination and patience. If you truly love to do what you’re doing, you’re not going to be worried about success right out of the gate. What will happen, however, is you’ll be more focused, dedicated and committed. Too many people try various “fly by night” techniques that are very short lived just to make a quick buck, but get flustered when their short lived method dies out fast and the money coming in begins to dwindle.
I have one website that I’ve slowly built over a years time and now I’m FINALLY starting to bring in a consistent, passive income each day. While I could probably stop working on it and still reap the benefits of the passive income stream I created, I still continue to work and build on it because I like what I do. Plus, I want to see the site grow to an even higher level than it is today 🙂
It’s not always going to be easy in the beginning. It takes hard work, but like I said (and like the motto in this post is), if you love it, you’ll find a way to make it work.
Fantastic post, Leigh. Being able to somehow convert one of your passions to your livelihood is the ultimate ticket when it comes to jobs. I would rather make less money doing something I enjoy than getting paid a lot for something I find no interest in at all, as that is simply not what life should be about for anyone.
I offer creative solutions to entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations as a graphic and web designer. And I LOVE it! Being a part of a creative process of seeing an idea go from concept to execution fires me up! What brings me ultimate satisfaction is knowing that I can creatively add value to everything around me.
I’m definitely exploring every angle. One really cool personal project that I’ve been brainstorming is designing and printing my very own brandbook, chronically my first 3 years design and creative exploration as a graphic and web designer. It will also showcase various aspects of myself, my interests and thoughts. Since February 2011 will mark 3 years of freelancing, I think I may make it a tradition every 3 years to design and print my own brandbook. Plus, whenever I do meetings with potential clients, I can use it as a way to give them a feel of who I am and what I do.
Other ideas that I’ve been chewing on include writing and selling my own ebooks, launching a t-shirt line for social change, designing my own line of cases for smartphones, and eventually starting my own ideation company.
I totally agree with Leigh! I began my journey of exploring the unconventional lifestyle of doing what I love in 2008 as a college student. And I haven’t looked back since. I wish more people experienced this kind of freedom.
Aside from this, putting the fire under your butt to push things forward is certainly going to come in handy while trying to turn your passion into an income. Never forget about action!
It’s funny how easy all of these little things we know seem know. I have to constantly remind myself in a lot of areas in life that others don’t. Those “basics” can be some of the greatest knowledge that the “advanced” often neglect to remember.
I agree with you Leigh. You have to unfortunately go through a lot of trial and error before you know what your doing. Fortunately failing again and again does help you to learn.
– Robert
Great article post, I am at the early stage of my blog and I enjoy writing about my process of learning how to buy investment properties, creating online businesses, writing reviews books, learning to invest. I enjoy sharing my experience but I do believe I need to work harder and do everything that my mentors tell me. Thanks for a great post
Akil
Very Well Written with Excellent suggestions for any newbie wanting to come online!
I wish I were into puzzles, you gave some great advise there!
I am an Internet Network Marketer and Blogger. I started in the network marketing/mlm business in 2009 and even though I attended all the old school face to face hyped meetings and paid megabucks for personal development trainings, I never really made the kind of money I felt i deserved! So this year just recently, I did as you suggested and had a heart-to-heart with myself. I thought why is this sooo hard? There is a whole world out there online! The company I was representing has it’s issues being new and all. I would have stuck it through with them and I gave it a year, but all I saw is that I was given a replicated website for me to sell Them! Plus they kept adding more & more products for me to buy, to sell Them. LoL That is the definition of Insanity!!
I decided my Passion was to Help Others Monetize their Online Marketing, Soooo I recently got my blog and it’s taken off incredibly!! i still need to ad many things to it like my affiliate links to other products I feel are useful to my readers, but for now I’m concentration like you said on providing Value. The rest will come. Trial and Error is the Key, but now that I’ve Branded me…I am in a much better position to help others and choose my poison. If the venue I want to promote works, Great. If it doesn’t I’ll share why and move on. But I will always be me. 😉
Thank you so much for the help you provide others in your writing. Now if I could only get these last 15 pounds off me, I’d truly be a Happy Camper!! 😉
xo
Alina Navarro
Alina Navarro (dot) com
Fantastic post Leigh! One of the key things that differentiate successful people from those who don’t experience success, is that they are risk takers and don’t fear failure. In fact, they see failure as one step closer to getting it right and succeeding. So, they jump in and do it, and love the game.
So, yes, I totally agree with your view about trial and error.
And, as the saying goes – do what you love and are passionate about and it’s not like work at all.
Kathy
Thansk for the tips.
It is very important to blog about what you love.
Otherwise you can not resist more than a few months blogging…
Your tips are the basics.!
Great sharing.
You do really have to love what you’re doing in order to turn your passion into profits.
Absolutely u got this 1 down right man.. Keeped me entertained for ages.
I am new to your site and like how informative it is,i like you are into music,but im a dj and i love music,you just made me think of how i could make my business work on that level. If you have any ideas that you dont mind sharing or a direction that you may point me into i would really be appreciative of it.. Thanks Moe.
While I’m not an online veteran (yet), my experience to date corroborates what you share in your article, Leigh. However, in order not to fall into the trap of using a “D” word, in this case, “discouragement”, I propose an attitude change. You see, I don’t believe in failure. I do believe in happy accidents, and learning moments. Like a baby learning to walk, we do take some steps forward, and fall down. This is part of the learning process; it is not failure. Those of us who are committed long-term to online success stick in there and make those learning moments and happy accidents count. Falling down doesn’t wipe the smile from my face because I’m pursuing I love.