Niall Doherty's Blog, page 145
September 15, 2022
eBiz Weekly #193
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This week:
$202K From 16 Income StreamsScaled to $100K MRR in 12 months$1 Million Selling Lesson Plans to LibrariansMillion-Dollar Service Idea$20K/Month Food BlogHow to Validate Your Course Idea29k Followers in Only 74 Days$51K in August from 5 BusinessesBoring = Perfectly Fine$202K From 16 Income StreamsHere’s a great example of someone building up a strong personal brand and side hustle while also holding down a full-time job 
Her name is Charli Marie and she’s Creative Director at ConvertKit.
Per a recent blog post and video, Marie shares that she earned £131,795 (about $152K USD) from her remote job at ConvertKit during the last tax year 
Then, from several different side-hustle income streams, she earned a further £43,524 ($50K).
The bulk of that side-hustle income came via content creation. Marie produces content on YouTube (214K subs), a podcast, her own website, and on social (mainly Twitter and Instagram).
She monetizes that content in various ways, mainly via sponsorships, but also via ads and affiliate commissions.
Have a look through Marie’s income streams and you’ll likely find some things you could emulate to make money online.
Scaled to $100K MRR in 12 monthsThat’s what Rinat Khat has done with Insquad, a marketplace for hiring senior remote developers.
Rinat tweets that his previous startup failed to scale beyond $25K/month, but he’s done seven things different this time around to hit $100K MRR fast 
This one resonates most with me…
$1 Million Selling Lesson Plans to LibrariansThen: spending too much time on tasks I understand best
Now: prioritizing bottlenecks
Insight: your startup won’t grow if you focus only on tasks you’re comfortable doing
Started in 2012 by a husband-and-wife / teacher-and-librarian team, Elementary Librarian is described as “a membership site with ready-made lesson plans and a space for elementary school librarians to share ideas” 
The couple – Shane and Jocelyn Sams – told Forbes that they were earning a combined $76K/year from their day jobs when they started the business.
A year later, in July 2013, the couple had their first five-figure month, earning $15,000. The next month, they made $36,000. “It was a year’s teaching salary in a month, and it was for a product that we had already created and didn’t have to keep working on,” says Shane.
By 2016 they were earning $50,000/month, and they went on to sell Elementary Librarian for about $1 million in 2017 once they’d hit 1000 paying members.
Full timeline for the Sams story here 
A couple of takeaways…
There can be big money in tiny niches.You might already have created products that you can sell.Million-Dollar Service IdeaHassan O tweets it…
Helping creators repurpose their content *in their own voice/ style* on different platforms
I shared a few weeks back that Alex Hormozi spends spends $70,000 per month (!!) to put out ~160 pieces of organic content each month. I bet much of that 70K is going towards the type of service Hassan is describing.
Check out this recent video from Alex: My $100,000,000 Morning Routine
The raw footage is just 5 minutes of him sitting on a couch talking about his (lack of a) morning routine, but the editing is 
If I were starting over building a money-making skill set, I’d learn how to edit videos like that.
Then I’d approach my favorite people online – people whose vibe and voice I know well and who already have a big audience – and pitch my repurposing service to help them blow up on YouTube and TikTok 
(Btw, I’m on the lookout for a great course that teaches that kind of video editing. Know one?)
$20K/Month Food BlogCarrie Forrest started blogging at Clean Eating Kitchen way back in 2009 
She earned almost no money from it for a decade, before focusing on SEO and monetization to turn it into a $20,000/month content machine.
Carrie breaks down how she did it in a recent interview with Niche Pursuits.
Her turning point was meeting another food blogger who “was making like six figures a month and it blew my mind” 
Now Carrie gets about 600,000 monthly page views and 90% of her revenue comes from display ads on the site.
Here’s an idea: there are surely a bunch of blogs out there like Carrie’s was in 2018, with lots of potential but severely unoptimized for SEO and $$$. If you find such a blog – Flippa would be a good place to start looking – it could probably be had for a pittance.
Related: Food Blogger Pro course review
How to Validate Your Course IdeaCheck how @jameore does this on Twitter
His idea is to create a course about building a no-code app via Bubble, and start earning monthly income from that app via the Bubble Marketplace.
@jameore has about 2,600 followers on Twitter – so a fairly small (but presumably targeted) audience – yet the 100 likes on his tweet seem to have been enough to convince him to create the course.
He now has a list of prospective buyers (the people who liked/responded to his tweet), and is collecting more as he tweets his progress creating the course.
One other thing he could have done is pre-sold the course, offering a % discount for anyone who signs up before X date. That would have given him stronger validation that the demand is there 
(Btw, if you don’t have any audience to do this with, you could approach someone on Twitter with a big enough audience in your niche, and figure out some kind of sponsorship or partnership.)
29k Followers in Only 74 DaysSay you do want to build your own audience on Twitter: Devin McPaul breaks down how Rob Lennon gained 29k followers in 2.5 months.
It’s a 6-step strategy; here’s Devin’s TLDR…
1. Post more, engage even more.
2. Optimize your profile for followers, not conversions.
3. Use value-driven, personal, and story content mix.
4. Show up daily. No matter what.
5. Don’t be afraid of casting a wide net occasionally.
6. Respond to every engagement.
My main takeaway from all that is simple: to grow on Twitter, you gotta spend a lot of time on Twitter 
Rob apparently tweets between 40-200 times per day. Seems he’s made Twitter a priority for a while to grow his audience fast.
$51K in August from 5 BusinessesAndrew Pierno’s Twitter bio says he’s “acquiring a $1M ARR SaaS portfolio at XO Capital” 
Here’s the breakdown of their portfolio for August.
The crown jewel appears to be Cold Email Studio, a “cold email as a service” business. That alone pulled in $24.3k in August, and Andrew is aiming to hit $50k MRR there by the end of the year.
The other businesses in the portfolio…
Screenshot API – $3,088 MRRSheet Best – $4,493 MRRInlytics – $7,212Work Clout – $11,944 MRRAndrew also tweets that he’s done 6 micro acquisitions and sold 2. Here’s his advice for doing your first micro acquisition.
Boring = Perfectly FineWrapping it up with wise words from Morgan Housel’s classic blog post (which evolved into an excellent book).
He’s talking about investing, but the same holds for entrepreneurship
Sign up for more tips and insights to build your online business 🚀It helps, I’ve found, when making money decisions to constantly remind yourself that the purpose of investing is to maximize returns, not minimize boredom. Boring is perfectly fine. Boring is good. If you want to frame this as a strategy, remind yourself: opportunity lives where others aren’t, and others tend to stay away from what’s boring.
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In case you missed em, here are the last three editions of eBiz Weekly:
#192 – New AI Tool: Some Kind of Black Magic#191 – Spending the Weekend with Multi-Millionaires#190 – 1.2M Followers in 6 MonthsFull archiveUntil next week, rock on with your legendary self
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Niall Doherty – Canillo, Andorra
eBiz Facts
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Free Courses
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Find A Remote Job
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September 8, 2022
eBiz Weekly #192
eBiz Weekly is a free newsletter packed with tips, insights and opportunities to build your online business. We send it out every Friday to 25,965 legendary subscribers. We also post the content of each email here on the website.
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This week:
$300/Month Profit, Sold For $20KNew AI Tool: Some Kind of Black Magic$1 Million A Year From FOMO10 Minutes of Cold CallingDropped Out Of College With 30K Subscribers$35,000 in 1 Month Writing OnlineLatest Momentos1000x Better Than A Great IdeaNew Reviews (+ $250 Giveaway)$300/Month Profit, Sold For $20KLove this write-up by Bernard Baruch about building and selling a puzzle subscription box business 
In about a year, he built it from scratch to “120 subscribers, +$3,500 in monthly revenue with +$300 in monthly profit” and then sold it for $20,000.
He mainly started the business as a way to learn and practice SEO, but he clearly learned a lot more than that. Goes to show the power of jumping into something and figuring it out as you go 
Bernard’s key takeaways:
ALWAYS test demand before investing significant time or resources
ALWAYS have an intended acquisition channel before starting a business
ALWAYS get going with minimal investment (less than $10,000) no matter what
Have a community or group of builders to ping-pong ideas and help each other
Be a hacker; do grey-area things, try the new new things
To get started learning SEO, Bernard used a 7-day free trial of Coursera to take this course.
New AI Tool: Some Kind of Black MagicPrepare to have your mind blown
Stable Diffusion is a new (free) AI tool that lets you generate images from simple text (or image) prompts.
For example: Bernie Sanders in a Mad Max movie that doesn’t exist
Even more amazing to me are the examples where very crude drawings were provided and the AI turned them into something
Such as…
Snoop Dogg illustrationA man with golden armorA distant futuristic cityThe reddit post for the last one is titled, “It’s some kind of black magic I swear” 
There’s also a fascinating video of someone using the tool with Photoshop to create a sprawling landscape image featuring a very cute corgi.
Beginner’s guide here if you want to play around with the black magic yourself.
$1 Million A Year From FOMOFomo is this app that shows up in the corner of some websites telling you that so-and-so in Kentucky just bought the product or service you’re checking out.
Ryan Kulp is the former CEO of the business, and reports that it earns about $1 million in annual recurring revenue
I like Ryan’s story because he’s honest about the struggles he endured before achieving success…
I also started and failed a couple of startups, using a mix of personal and “friends and family” funds but losing it all… [Fomo] was my first startup success after 8 years of trying.
Interestingly, Ryan didn’t start Fomo from scratch. He bought it in 2016 and since then managed to scale it by 600% 
Here’s a video of Benjamin Dennehy – aka the UK’s Most Hates Sales Trainer – cold calling prospects for ten minutes straight 
From the description:
In this video I make 3 back to back cold calls. Each gets to a decision maker. Each call is different. I never beg, plead or sound needy. I’d rather get a no with dignity than a yes with desperation. The purpose of a cold call isn’t to get everyone to say yes, but to find the right people to say yes.
The last call in particular is masterful. He could easily have gotten a meeting with the prospect, but he pushed it there and then on the phone until it was obvious it would never turn into a sale. Saved them both a ton of time.
If you’re selling a service to local businesses, what do you think would happen if you spent an hour a day cold calling like that? 
That was Ryan Trahan back in 2017.
“He was a student athlete running track and cross country at Texas A&M University,” and he was also making a bit of money from his nascent YouTube channel about running.
But back then, under NCAA rules, student athletes couldn’t make money using their name, image, or likeness 
So Ryan decided to drop out of college and pursue the YouTube thing full-time. (Here’s his video from 2017 announcing his decision.)
Fast-forward to today: Ryan’s got 10.5 million subscribers to his channel and is earning an estimated $60K/month from ads alone
His most popular videos:
Racing strangers in the airport (short) – 51M viewsBathroom (short) – 37M viewsTesla Autopilot For 24 Hours Straight! – 30M viewsPaddy Galloway has an excellent breakdown showing how Ryan changed his YouTube strategy a couple of years ago and 10xed the views on his videos. In Paddy’s words…
$35,000 in 1 Month Writing Online[Ryan] started implementing a three-step formula to create viral videos every single time.
Charles Miller tweets that he hit that milestone in July
Months like these are becoming common, but it took 4 years to get to this point.
Looks like he earned $22,200 from freelance client work, and another $13,100 from his own products: a paid community for writers, and a course bundle.
According to a recent LinkedIn post, Charles charges each client $2k-$4k per month.
Here are 7 things he’d do differently if he were starting over, to achieve the same level of success faster
Including…
Latest MomentosWhen I started getting clients, I did so on just Upwork and Fiverr for about 9 months. If I were starting again, I would definitely skip Fiverr, probably skip Upwork too, and start doing cold outreach immediately.
My latest batch of personal ramblings is here if you fancy a look 
Felix Dennis was a 
British entrepreneur who amassed a mega-fortune in the publishing industry.
Words from his book, How To Get Rich, which is much better than it sounds…
New Reviews (+ $250 Giveaway)The follow-through, the execution, is a thousand times more important than a “great idea.” In fact, if the execution is perfect, it sometimes barely matters what the idea is. If you want to get rich, don’t sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. Just get busy getting rich.
My team and I are constantly reviewing courses that claim to teach you some method for making money online
(We use a pretty intense 31-factor review process to assess each course, combined with feedback from real students.)
The latest reviews we’ve published/updated, in order of rating…
Blogging Fast Lane – blogging – 3.7 starsPinterest VA – virtual assistant – 3.7 starsFully Booked VA – virtual assistant – 3.4 starsEcom Freedom – ecommerce – 3.1 starsSee here for the full list of courses we’ve rated and reviewed to date.
If you’ve done any of those courses yourself, please consider taking a minute to rate it via this page. When we publish your review, you’ll be entered into a monthly draw to win up to $250, and we’ll donate $5 on your behalf to educate a girl in rural Africa ($2715 donated so far).
Want to review a course that’s not listed? Tell me about it here
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In case you missed em, here are the last three editions of eBiz Weekly:
#191 – Spending the Weekend with Multi-Millionaires#190 – 1.2M Followers in 6 Months#189 – $20K/Month Online Art TeacherFull archiveUntil next week, rock on with your legendary self
—
Niall Doherty – El Tarter, Andorra
eBiz Facts
By the way...
Rate and Review an Online Course
Have you ever taken a course that promised to help you make money online? Share your experience with that course and we’ll donate $5 on your behalf to educate a girl in rural Africa.
How To Make Money Online
A deep article laying out all the possibilities for making money online, based on the 6 levels and 19 types of online business.
Recommended Resources
Check out our collection of the best tools and resources for building an online business. Web hosting, email marketing, productivity, top-rated courses, etc.
Free Courses
A massive list of FREE Udemy courses to help build your online business. We only list top-rated courses – minimum 50 ratings – and update every 24 hours.
Find A Remote Job
See our list of the best ways to find a remote job, based on 100+ hours of research and testing.
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September 5, 2022
Virtual Assistant Institute Review
This is a stub review of Ingrid Bayer’s courses: Virtual Assistant institute.
Ingrid’s сourses aim to teach you how to make money online by starting a freelance virtual assistant business.
(Have you taken this course? Add your rating!)
Virtual Assistant Institute – Key PointsAbout
A series of virtual assistant courses by Ingrid Bayer.
💰 Price
Tiered from $340 to $3745 (more info)
Overall RatingIncomplete/5 View Alternatives
About our 31-factor editorial review processHow does Virtual Assistant Institute help you make money?
The courses aim to help you become a freelance virtual assistant. The advanced plans also seek to help you set up your business in a matter of days.
A virtual assistant is someone who works online, helping another person or business with various tasks (eg. email management, data entry, customer service, etc).
As Ingrid writes on the course sales page…
Learn more about becoming a virtual assistantLearn more about freelancingHow much does Virtual Assistant Institute cost?The VA Institute offers learning opportunities to suit everyone – from an online self-paced program to a virtual one-on-one session, to intensive retreats for those looking to get set up quickly.
The listed price for the VA Quickstart program is $497 AUD (approximately $340 USD). The price for the VA Startup Program’s tiers goes from $1527 AUD (~$1040 USD) to $5498 AUD (~$3745 USD).
You don’t have to pay for these in full, as the sales page promises you can pay in multiple installments. I haven’t found any further info about this during my research.
Keep in mind that you’ll probably need a little extra money to spend on a website domain and hosting to make full use of the course.
Virtual Assistant Institute Discount?Sorry, there doesn’t seem to be any discount available for the Virtual Assistant Institute.
However, there is a field for entering a coupon code on checkout.
Refund PolicyThe Terms of Sale page for the training specifies a money-back guarantee only in very specific (and unlikely) cases…
A refund will only be applied if a Participant is able to provide evidence of ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ (as outlined below) in which they would be unable to complete the Online VA Startup Essentials or VA Startup Advanced Program.
The only two “exceptional circumstances” listed are the VA Institute withdrawing a program or the person buying it getting terminally ill or injured.
Virtual Assistant Institute AlternativesHere are the top virtual assistant programs we’ve reviewed…
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1.The Savvy System (review)4.5/5 2.90 Day VA (review)4.0/5 3.Pinterest VA (review)3.7/5 4.Fully Booked VA (review)3.3/5 5.The Techie Mentor (review)3.2/5 6.10k VA (review)2.7/5 Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp (review)Incomplete/5 VA Foundry Members Club (review)Incomplete/5 VA Handbook DIY Course (review)Incomplete/5 Virtual Assistant Institute (review)Incomplete/5 Virtual Excellence Academy (review)Incomplete/5
See all reviews of virtual assistant courses »
Other ways to make money online
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September 1, 2022
eBiz Weekly #191
eBiz Weekly is a free newsletter packed with tips, insights and opportunities to build your online business. We send it out every Friday to 25,787 legendary subscribers. We also post the content of each email here on the website.
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This week:
$120K/Year Free Stock Photo SiteSpending the Weekend with Multi-Millionaires$1000/Month App Made For His GirlfriendNew Reviews (+ $250 Giveaway)3-Year-Old Niche Site Sold For $250K$2 Million Earned From Design ContestsIdentity Theft Bitcoin Scam$4000/Month Business Boost Via TikTokYou Can’t Be Brave Without ______$120K/Year Free Stock Photo SiteEver heard of picjumbo?
It’s a free stock photo website, created by a guy named Viktor Hanacek in 2013.
Back then Viktor was trying to sell his own photos on established stock photo sites, but…
all the stock photo sites rejected his photos due to “insufficient quality”. But he didn’t know why exactly and he needed to come up with a new plan: If he can’t sell the photos on someone else’s website, why not sell them on his own?
So he set up picjumbo. Struggling to sell his photos there too, he decided to give them away for free. Within two years, more than 3 million photos had been downloaded from the site and it had become Viktor’s full-time job
Here’s how he monetizes it (source)…
Spending the Weekend with Multi-MillionairesWhile all photos are free, you can buy the All in One Pack to download all the free photos to your computer at once or sign up for PREMIUM Membership to get access to more unreleased photos, entire collections, and extra content every month. Together with advertising, these are the main sources of income and currently, picjumbo is above the $10,000/month mark.
Nick Huber, a successful entrepreneur in his own right, recently spent a weekend with 20+ notable money-makers, such as Mr Beast and Sam Parr.
He writes about his takeaways here
This one stood out to me…
Very few of [the multi-millionaire entrepreneurs] started new, groundbreaking businesses. They started normal businesses doing things that already existed. No new ideas. No revolutionary technology. They saw a need in the market and they got after it and executed better than anyone else. Good old fashioned boring stuff.
You can also listen to a podcast version of Nick’s takeaways from the weekend. And the guys on the MFM podcast did their own wrap-up.
A redditor writes that he created this simple invoicing app for his girlfriend’s business.
Apparently his girlfriend is a skating coach 
She showed the app to other skating coaches and word spread “all the way down to Texas and Alabama.”
It’s a freemium app, now pulling in $1000 per month
How the app came about…
I did very little market research, and instead focused on exactly what my girlfriend needed to invoice her students. She had tried a few things, QuickBooks, spreadsheets, paper, etc – nothing did this specific job very well. Typically, they were massively overkill for her needs. She wanted to input new lessons in seconds, and have an invoice auto-generate. That’s it – so that’s what I built!
Might be worth chatting with people close to you about their experience with software they use regularly. Maybe you’ll find a similar opportunity.
New Reviews (+ $250 Giveaway)My team and I are constantly reviewing courses that claim to teach you some method for making money online
(We use a pretty intense 31-factor review process to assess each course, combined with feedback from real students.)
The latest reviews we’ve published/updated, in order of rating…
90 Day VA – virtual assistant – 4.0 starsThe Techie Mentor – virtual assistant – 3.2 starsPassive Income Unlocked – blogging/affiliate marketing – 2.9 starsMinistry of Freedom – affiliate marketing – 1.5 starsSee here for the full list of courses we’ve rated and reviewed to date.
If you’ve done any of those courses yourself, please consider taking a minute to rate it via this page. When we publish your review, you’ll be entered into a monthly draw to win up to $250, and we’ll donate $5 on your behalf to educate a girl in rural Africa ($2715 donated so far).
Want to review a course that’s not listed? Tell me about it here.
3-Year-Old Niche Site Sold For $250KSpencer Haws writes about selling his niche website called OwnTheYard.com for “about $250,000” after only 3 years 
The site was averaging about $6000/month in revenue when Spencer sold it, and he reports that it had earned $108,500 in total revenue over the years before the sale.
The breakdown of the earnings has historically been approximately 40% from Amazon Associates and 60% from Display Ads using Ezoic.
Including the sale price, Spencer calculates that the website earned him $97,833 per year in profit for 3 years.
Nice 
(Btw, that Passive Income Unlocked course I mentioned above is all about building niche sites, made by a couple of guys who regularly earn at least $30K/month from their own portfolio.)
Related: Catching up with the 6-Figure Houseplant Blogger
$2 Million Earned From Design ContestsThat’s Anand Thangavel, an engineer-turned-designer on the DesignCrowd marketplace.
He signed up for DesignCrowd way back in 2011, and it took him about 5 years to earn his first $1 million and another 4 years to get to $2 million in total earnings
Make no mistake though: Anand is exceptional.
I once looked at 598 recently finished contests on DesignCrowd and found that the average prize money was $215 per contest. Per contest, there were an average of 149 designs submitted by 64 designers, so it seems there’s a lot of competition and it’s quite hard to win any particular contest 
The secret to Anand’s success?
I hardly sleep. Though currently being in Indian Standard Time (IST), I keep myself responsive during PT, ET, BST, AEST timings.
In fact, these time zones were a compliment from a client who once wrote on a surprise, “Mate, I see you online on all the time zones. Are you human or bot?”
Related: CG marketplace FlippedNormals has now paid out $1,000,000 to creators
Identity Theft Bitcoin ScamOn a recent episode of the MFM podcast, the hosts mentioned someone running a bitcoin scam in the comments of their YouTube videos
So I decided to investigate.
Details on how the scam works in this Twitter thread
(Please give that a like/share on Twitter if you’d like to see more along those lines.)
$4000/Month Business Boost Via TikTokAlex Stewart has a productized graphic design service called Teamtown that was reportedly pulling in $30K/month at the turn of the year
Alex wrote a couple of months back that he’s used TikTok partnerships to grow his business by $4000 in monthly recurring revenue…
I found TikTok creators who’s audience match my target customer and proceeded to negotiate an organic sponsored post.
He spent about $1500 to bring in the $4000/month, paying “in the range of $100-$1000 per video depending on the creator’s audience size and engagement rate.”
This video by Sam Despo did the best, with more than 25,000 views
Looks like Sam has done the same for many other companies. He’s crushing it with over 1 million views on some videos and 583K followers.
You Can’t Be Brave Without ______Wrapping it up with words from 
Muhammad Ali’s book, The Soul of a Butterfly…
Sign up for more tips and insights to build your online business 🚀For a while I was serious about not going to Italy for the Olympics, and then I thought about what my father said, “Always confront the things you fear.” I realized that we are only brave when we have something to lose and we still try. We can’t be brave without fear.
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August 30, 2022
Passive Income Unlocked Review
This is the definitive Passive Income Unlocked review.
Specifically, this is a review of The Passive Income Unlocked Protocol, a course by Jeff Bridenstine and Ben Esman of the website and YouTube channel Passive Income Unlocked.
Their course aims to teach you how to build profitable niche websites. My team and I have researched the training thoroughly and shared our insights below.
(Have you taken this course? Add your rating!)
If you’d like to know…
What exactly Passive Income Unlocked teachesHow it compares to similar coursesThe pros and cons of Passive Income UnlockedIf Jeff and Ben are legitThen you’re in the right place.
Passive Income Unlocked – Key PointsAbout
Premium niche site training and community from Jeff Bridenstine and Ben Esman.
💰 Price
$90 for a 6-month subscription or $150 for a yearly subscription (more info)
😍 Pros
Surprisingly low price, minimal additional expense, easy to follow, Jeff and Ben walk their talk.
😩 Cons
No lifetime access option, no search functionality, no success stories (yet).
Verdict
Impressive niche site training at an affordable price.
Overall Rating2.9/5 2.9Learn more.'>1 Join Passive Income Unlocked
About our 31-factor editorial review processJump to…The Best Affiliate Marketing Course?How does Passive Income Unlocked help you make money?Who is it for?Jeff Bridenstine and Ben Esman ReputationAre students getting results?Price (and discount) infoRefund policyCourse structurePraiseCriticismOther things you should knowShould you join Passive Income Unlocked?AlternativesLeave your reviewAsk a questionAbout the Author
Hey, I’m Niall Doherty.
I quit my last 9-to-5 job back in 2010.
Since then, I’ve earned my living online in various ways. Last year (2021) I earned $208,536 from my laptop.
I’m on a mission to accurately rate and review all the best online business courses. My team and I are spending many hours investigating these courses and getting feedback from real students.
All that to say: we know a thing or two about such courses and making money online.
The Best Affiliate Marketing Course?We’re on a mission to find the best affiliate marketing training, based on our own extensive research plus feedback from verified students.
While The Passive Income Unlocked Protocol is NOT primarily an affiliate marketing course – it’s more focused on monetizing niche sites with display ads – it does cover a lot of the same ground.
With that in mind, while Passive Income Unlocked is quite good, it doesn’t beat out some similar courses…
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1.The Authority Site System (review)4.8/5 2.The Affiliate Lab (review)4.7/5 3.Blog Growth Engine (review)4.4/5
See all reviews of affiliate marketing courses »
How does Passive Income Unlocked help you make money?
Passive Income Unlocked aims to help you build and grow a niche website / blog that gets tons of traffic from Google and other search engines.
They also show you how to monetize that traffic, in order of priority…
Display adsAffiliate marketingDigital productsAs Jeff states on the course sales page…
Learn the exact process that we’ve used to grow our niche sites to over 1 million pageviews and $50,000+ per month.
Most of that revenue seems to come from display ads.
Here is one of their sites with the display ads highlighted in red…
Source: MyBackyardLife.comHow much money you make from display ads depends on a few factors, but generally the more people you can get to visit your site, the more you can earn.
As Jeff says within the training:
[Display ads] is the easiest way to make money with an informational site. However, the reason that a lot of people don’t like to build informational sites is because you need quite a bit of traffic to make money from display ads… We produce a lot of content, and each piece of content brings in a small amount of money, but those small amounts of money do add up over time.
That certainly seems to be the case for the PIU guys. Here’s Jeff reporting almost $40,000 in revenue from six of their own niche sites in one month…
In a blog post accompanying that video, they note that the vast majority of that revenue came via display ads.
As mentioned, Jeff and Ben also teach the monetization methods of affiliate marketing and digital products within the course.
Affiliate marketing is when you promote other people’s products or services, and collect a commission for each successful referral.
And a digital product is something like a short PDF or ebook that you can sell via your website, or offer as an incentive so people sign up to your mailing list.
Learn more about affiliate marketingLearn more about digital productsWho is Passive Income Unlocked for?Passive Income Unlocked sells itself as a platform for beginners.
As stated in the sales page’s FAQ section…
This course covers the exact strategies that we’ve used to build our niche sites, step by step. While it will provide the most benefit to beginners, those of you with some experience building sites should find value in it as well. If you’re already an expert, there are other, more technical courses out there to consider instead.
I haven’t seen such honesty in quite a while, so I was pleasantly surprised with that description.
And having seen inside the course, I tend to agree: The Passive Income Unlocked Protocol is an ideal course for beginners who like the idea of creating and monetizing niche websites.
70+ ways how to make money online (including easy options)Do Jeff and Ben have a good reputation?Yes.
They don’t have a huge audience yet, but I think that’s only a matter of time.
I’ve watched a bunch of their YouTube videos and read through interviews with both of them. They seem like genuine guys who have worked hard to achieve their own niche site success. And now they’re sharing what they’ve learned via their free and paid material.
You can also tell they are the real deal because they’ve revealed one of their niche sites publicly…
And they reveal another two within their premium training.
So these guys clearly walk their talk.
Are Passive Income Unlocked students getting results?It’s too early to tell.
As I’m writing this, The Passive Income Unlocked Protocol is still quite new. Not many students have gone through the training yet, and so have not had time to implement the teachings and see significant results.
However, the course seems solid, and I don’t doubt that we will eventually see numerous success stories coming out of it.
How much does Passive Income Unlocked cost?You have two payment options to access the Passive Income Unlocked premium training…
$150 for an annual subscription$90 for a 6-month subscriptionEither option gives you access to both the course materials and the private community.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to put a little bit of extra money aside for hosting and a domain name for your website. These are the only expenses that the PIU guys consider necessary.
There are some paid tools recommended within the training to speed things up, but you can go without these if you’re on a tight budget.
Passive Income Unlocked Discount?I’ve searched high and low for a discount or coupon code but have yet to find mention of one anywhere, and there’s no place to enter a discount code on the Passive Income Unlocked checkout.
Sorry guys: it’s full-price or nothing.
But given that this is one of the least expensive courses I’ve seen on this topic, you can consider the full price to be a great deal.
Refund PolicyThe sales page for PIU specifies a 30-day refund period…
A full refund request can be made via email within 30 days of the purchase date of the course.
It’s not specified whether there’s any action that you need to perform to be eligible for a refund.
How is Passive Income Unlocked structured?This is what the training looks like once you’re logged in…
The core training is broken up into nearly 20 modules. They have a total of 50 videos that last more than 10 hours.
Each module covers one step of building (and monetizing) your blog. I found the training easy to follow. Jeff gives you the same spreadsheets that he uses in his videos so you can follow along with your own research and analysis.
The training is quite comprehensive for such a low-priced course. And I like that they encourage you to produce quality content, helping you set up a site that brings value to your audience.
One thing I found a little lacking was the monetization section. They cover monetizing with display ads quite well, but I would have liked to see more info on affiliate marketing and digital products. This isn’t a big issue though if you mainly want to monetize with display ads, like the PIU guys do on their own sites.
Passive Income Unlocked has a built-in forum rather than a Facebook group. There wasn’t a ton of activity in there when I checked it out, which was understandable since the course had just launched and not many people had joined yet.
I did find the forum interface clean and easy to navigate.
Green Lights 
Here are a few things to like about Passive Income Unlocked…
Low price compared to similar courses; especially affordable with yearly subscription.Minimal additional expense.30-day money-back guarantee.Clear instruction, easy to follow step by step.Strong emphasis on creating quality content.No misleading marketing tactics.Jeff and Ben clearly walk their talk.Red Flags
A few things about Passive Income Unlocked that might give you pause…
Lack of significant success stories from students (understandable: the course is still new).No lifetime access option.Brief info on monetization options beyond display ads.No search function or text version of the lessons; hard to quickly find or refer back to specifics.Other things you should knowA good way to think of PIU’s premium training: Jeff and Ben have basically documented everything they’ve done to build their own profitable niche sites. When you buy the course, you get access to that documentation.You’ll find lots of handy downloads within the training, including checklists, templates, spreadsheets, etc.Keep in mind that the course was launched only a few weeks before this writing. It may be missing some key things such as success stories, but I believe we’ll see plenty of them in time.What can you learn from the premium PIU training that you can’t learn from the free content on their YouTube channel? They answered this very question in a YouTube comment…👇 Subscribe to eBiz Weekly 👇
As far as niche selection, topic research, and keyword research, we do cover many of the same strategies [in the course] as on YT, but we go quite a bit deeper in some areas and cover some methods we didn’t touch on in those videos. With keyword research in particular, we’ve improved our process quite a bit over the last year, especially in terms of making sure we’re capturing all the low-hanging fruit with low and zero-volume keywords, while avoiding duplicate content at the same time.
I’m not one to tell you to spend your hard-earned money on something that may or may not be worth it for you, but I think you’ll find value in the course and pick up some new techniques that you can apply to your site or sites.
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Should you join Passive Income Unlocked?
Passive Income Unlocked is still a new course, but I’m happy to recommend it.
The strategy that Jeff and Ben teach is sound. They’ve laid it out clearly and concisely. And they’ve made it all available for a very low price, especially compared to other courses that teach the same business model.
I also appreciate that their training puts an emphasis on creating quality content.
Overall, I consider The Passive Income Unlocked Protocol to be one of the best-value courses we’ve reviewed to date. If you like the idea of building and monetizing informational niche websites, definitely give it a look.
Just keep in mind that such sites usually require several months or even years of work before they can generate a good income, especially if you’re starting one from scratch.
Learn more about affiliate marketingLearn more about digital productsPassive Income Unlocked – Key PointsAbout
Premium niche site training and community from Jeff Bridenstine and Ben Esman.
💰 Price
$90 for a 6-month subscription or $150 for a yearly subscription (more info)
😍 Pros
Surprisingly low price, minimal additional expense, easy to follow, Jeff and Ben walk their talk.
😩 Cons
No lifetime access option, no search functionality, no success stories (yet).
Verdict
Impressive niche site training at an affordable price.
Overall Rating2.9/5 2.9Learn more.'>2 Join Passive Income Unlocked
Passive Income Unlocked Alternatives
Here are the top affiliate marketing programs we’ve reviewed…
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1.The Authority Site System (review)4.8/5 2.The Affiliate Lab (review)4.7/5 3.Blog Growth Engine (review)4.4/5 4.Passive Income Geek (review)4.4/5 5.Income School's Project 24 (review)4.3/5 6.Blogging Fast Lane (review)3.7/5 7.Fat Stacks Bundle (review)3.5/5 8.Digital Worth Academy (review)2.9/5 9.Passive Income Unlocked (review)2.9/5 10.Hustlers University (review)2.7/5
See all reviews of affiliate marketing courses »
Other ways to make money onlineYour Thoughts on Passive Income UnlockedHave you taken this course yourself?
Add your rating so others can see if it’s worthwhile.Do you have a question about this course?
Let us know below and we’ll try find the answer.👇 Subscribe to eBiz Weekly 👇
Every Friday we email 25,601 people like you with top tips, insights and opportunities to build your online business. No hype, no scams, no fake gurus. Sign up below to get the next one.
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August 29, 2022
Blogging Fast Lane Review
You’ve found the definitive Blogging Fast Lane review.
Blogging Fastlane is a blogging course created by Tom Rogers and Anna Faustino, who you may know from the popular travel blog Adventure In You.
We have spent many hours examining the course materials and getting feedback from real students.
(Have you taken this course? Add your rating!)
If you’re eager to learn…
The pros and cons of Blogging Fast LaneHow it compares to other coursesWhat monetization methods they teachThe different pricing options and refund policyAre students getting results?Then you’ve come to the right place.
Blogging Fast Lane – Key PointsAbout
A blogging and affiliate marketing course by Tom Rogers and Anna Faustino.
💰 Price
$697 for lifetime access (more info)
😍 Pros
Practical and comprehensive training, reasonable price, students seem to rate the course highly.
😩 Cons
May be lacking updates in some areas, action-based refund policy, sometimes hard to navigate.
Verdict
Worthwhile for new bloggers seeking to monetize their blog via affiliate marketing.
Overall Rating3.7/5 3.7Learn more.'>1 Visit Blogging Fast Lane
About our 31-factor editorial review processJump to…The Best Virtual Assistant Course?How does Blogging Fast Lane help you make money?Who is it for?Tom Rogers and Anna Faustino ReputationAre students getting results?Price (and discount) infoRefund policyCourse structurePraiseCriticismOther things you should knowShould you join Blogging Fast Lane?AlternativesLeave your reviewAsk a questionAbout the Author
Hey, I’m Niall Doherty.
I quit my last 9-to-5 job back in 2010.
Since then, I’ve earned my living online in various ways. Last year (2021) I earned $208,536 from my laptop.
I’m on a mission to accurately rate and review all the best online business courses. My team and I are spending many hours investigating these courses and getting feedback from real students.
All that to say: we know a thing or two about such courses and making money online.
The Best Blogging Course?We’re on a mission to find the best blogging training, based on our own extensive research plus feedback from verified students.
Blogging Fast Lane is quite good, but it doesn’t quite beat out some other courses…
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1.The Authority Site System (review)4.8/5 2.The Affiliate Lab (review)4.7/5 3.Blog Growth Engine (review)4.4/5
See all reviews of blogging courses »
How does Blogging Fastlane help you make money?
Blogging Fast Lane aims to help you build and grow a blog that gets tons of traffic from Google and other search engines.
You would mainly monetize that traffic via affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is when you promote other people’s products or services and collect a commission for every successful referral.
As Tom and Anna put it…
We show you how to build and grow an Affiliate Machine that stands out from everyone else and continuously makes money — even when you sleep.
The Blogging Fast Lane Accelerator is a tested and proven 8-week online program that teaches you exactly how to build, grow, and earn from your blog… strategically!
(Btw, the full name of the course is Blogging Fast Lane Accelerator.)
Learn more about bloggingLearn more about affiliate marketingWho is Blogging Fast Lane for?The course sells itself as a platform for bloggers of all levels of experience…
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any tech skills or any previous experience. Everything you need to know is provided in this step-by-step course, including videos showing you exactly how to set everything up.
However, given how it’s suitable for people that don’t even have a blog yet, I’d say that beginners will find the most value here.
It is apparently also suitable for people that have a blog, but aren’t making much money with it…
If you already have a blog but are still not making decent money from it then this course is for you. We teach you how to turn your blog into an Affiliate Machine that consistently will bring in passive income.
Even though Tom and Anna are travel bloggers, it looks like even people that aren’t in the same camp will find it useful. They don’t seem to focus on travel blogging, but rather tactics that are applicable for any niche.
70+ ways how to make money online (including easy options)Do Tom Rogers and Anna Faustino have a good reputation?Yes.
They’ve been making good money as bloggers for several years already. I did a ton of research and published a case study about them a while back. I also saw them give an impressive talk at a conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
They’ve built up a pretty big following on social networks like Facebook and Instagram, and I’ve rarely heard a bad word said about them over the years.
Ahrefs shows that their main website, Adventure In You, remains strong…
Ahrefs graph for adventureinyou.comAnd Blogging Fast Lane, the website where they teach others how to blog, has been growing steadily…
Ahrefs graph for bloggingfastlane.comThere’s quite a wealth of free information available on both websites.
You can get a feel for their teaching style in this video by Anna, all about affiliate marketing for bloggers…
Are Blogging FastLane students getting results?It’s easy enough to find students of Blogging Fast Lane reporting solid results.
For example…
Above testimonial from the owners of a website called Vegan Punks, as featured here.Not every testimonial speaks to results achieved however. Many just praise the course for its structure and lessons.
But I’ve seen enough on Tom and Anna’s reviews page to conclude that the training is effective if you’re willing to put in the work.
How much does Blogging Fast Lane cost?For access to the Blogging Fastlane training, there are two options:
$697 one-time payment4 payments of $199The latter adds up to a total price of $796.
You get lifetime access with either option.
Just keep in mind that you may need to cover additional costs to fully implement the training. Although most of the tools that Tom and Anna recommend have free versions, it seems like some of them – OptinMonster, for instance – only have paid plans.
Also, Blogging Fastline has at least one bundled upsell, for the following two products…
Digital Product LaunchpadPitch Like a ProIf you opt for that, the price is an additional $297.
Blogging Fastlane Discount?I’ve searched high and low for a discount or coupon code but have yet to find mention of one anywhere.
Sorry guys: it’s full-price or nothing.
Refund PolicyThe sales page for Blogging Fastlane specifies a 90-day action-based money-back guarantee…
If you watch the videos, complete the action points, and put to work everything you learn and are not completely satisfied with the course within the first 90 days, we will give you 100% of your money back! This is how much we believe in our program.
Tom and Anna only briefly describe this on the sales page. I would have liked to see more info there. But once you are signed up, you get access to a Refund Request Checklist, which seems to explain everything much better.
Here’s exactly what you need to go through in order to get a refund for Blogging Fastlane…
Given all that, it’s not exactly easy to get a refund if you’re not satisfied with Blogging Fast Lane.
I can understand why they have it set up like this – they want to make sure you put in the work required to achieve success – but I personally prefer to the no-questions-asked refund policies I’ve seen in some other courses.
That said, I haven’t seen any complaints from students regarding refunds.
How is Blogging Fastlane structured?Here’s what the training looks like once you’re logged in…
The core training is broken up into 4 big modules which last 8 weeks total. They’re filled with video lessons that last around 20-30 hours (not including the bonuses).
Each lesson comes with action points. These are homework assignments that usually shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes. It is highly recommended that you do these in order to fully implement the training.
The training starts off with some mindset and organization lessons, then quickly shifts to affiliate marketing. It also incorporates SEO and email marketing later.
My impression is that the training is quite comprehensive, and I like how they cover monetizing with display ads as well as affiliate marketing.
Most videos also have transcripts, which can be helpful. But I would have liked to see a search function within the course as well. Without that, it can be hard to quickly find and refer back to specific lessons or topics.
There are also many bonuses included with Blogging Fast Lane, such as:
7 Day Fast Lane Launch PlanWordPress Made Simple Video VaultBlog Branding Kickstarter PackPinterest Explosion CourseTime Hacking SecretsBusiness of Blogging Templates and ResourcesLive Q & A VideosBFL Case StudiesFinally, there’s a private Facebook community. It has about 1500 members but I would have expected to see more activity in there…
That said, I was pleased to see either Tom or Anna responding to pretty much every post in the group.
Green Lights Some positive points for Blogging Fast Lane…
Most students seem to rate the course highly.Practical and comprehensive training.Reasonable price.No misleading marketing tactics.Tom Rogers and Anna Faustino walk their talk.You pay once and get lifetime access with free updates.Red Flags Some knocks on Blogging FastLane…
No mention on the sales page of expenses beyond the price of the training.Training can feel disjointed and hard to navigate.Looks like the training is fully updated only once every couple of years.Complicated refund policy.Other things you should knowA good way to think of Tom and Anna’s training: they’ve basically documented everything they’ve done to build their own very successful business. When you buy the course, you get access to that documentation.I’ve noticed during my research that the training may not have been updated for a couple of years. Therefore, there’s no guarantee that they still recommend using the software they used when last updating it, such as OptinMonster and ActiveCampaign.👇 Subscribe to eBiz Weekly 👇Every Friday we email 25,601 people like you with top tips, insights and opportunities to build your online business. No hype, no scams, no fake gurus. Sign up below to get the next one.
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Should you join Blogging Fast Lane?
From what I’ve seen, the vast majority of people who buy this course end up happy with their purchase.
I consider it to be a solid investment if you’re a new blogger committed to monetizing a blog via affiliate marketing.
Just be aware that success with such training usually requires a significant amount of time and effort. (This is true for all types of online business.)
Learn more about bloggingLearn more about affiliate marketingBlogging Fast Lane – Key PointsAbout
A blogging and affiliate marketing course by Tom Rogers and Anna Faustino.
💰 Price
$697 for lifetime access (more info)
😍 Pros
Practical and comprehensive training, reasonable price, students seem to rate the course highly.
😩 Cons
May be lacking updates in some areas, action-based refund policy, sometimes hard to navigate.
Verdict
Worthwhile for new bloggers seeking to monetize their blog via affiliate marketing.
Overall Rating3.7/5 3.7Learn more.'>2 Visit Blogging Fast Lane
Blogging Fast Lane Alternatives
Here are the top blogging programs we’ve reviewed…
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1.The Authority Site System (review)4.8/5 2.The Affiliate Lab (review)4.7/5 3.Blog Growth Engine (review)4.4/5 4.Passive Income Geek (review)4.4/5 5.Income School's Project 24 (review)4.3/5 6.Food Blogger Pro (review)3.9/5 7.Blogging Fast Lane (review)3.7/5 8.Fat Stacks Bundle (review)3.5/5 9.Superstar Blogging (review)3.3/5 10.Becoming a Blogger (review)3.2/5
See all reviews of blogging courses »
And here are our top affiliate marketing courses…
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1.The Authority Site System (review)4.8/5 2.The Affiliate Lab (review)4.7/5 3.Blog Growth Engine (review)4.4/5 4.Passive Income Geek (review)4.4/5 5.Income School's Project 24 (review)4.3/5 6.Blogging Fast Lane (review)3.7/5 7.Fat Stacks Bundle (review)3.5/5 8.Digital Worth Academy (review)2.9/5 9.Hustlers University (review)2.7/5 10.Wealthy Affiliate (review)2.5/5
See all reviews of affiliate marketing courses »
Other ways to make money onlineYour Thoughts on Blogging Fast LaneHave you taken this course yourself?
Add your rating so others can see if it’s worthwhile.Do you have a question about this course?
Let us know below and we’ll try find the answer.👇 Subscribe to eBiz Weekly 👇
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Ecom Freedom Review
This is the ultimate Ecom Freedom review.
Ecom Freedom is a series of ecommerce courses by Dan Vasiljevs, better known as Dan Vas. My team and I have researched the training thoroughly and shared our insights below.
(Have you taken this course? Add your rating!)
If you want to know…
What exactly they teach you in the coursePrice and discount infoWhat are the common criticisms of Dan VasAre students getting results?Then you’re in the right place.
Ecom Freedom – Key PointsAbout
Amazon FBA and Shopify ecommerce courses from Dan Vas.
💰 Price
From $297 to $1997 (details, discount info)
😍 Pros
Free 7-day trial, comprehensive training, weekly live calls, regularly updated.
😩 Cons
Lacks more recent testimonials, somewhat expensive, Dan Vas seems rather mysterious.
Verdict
Recommend for fans of Dan Vas who aren’t on a tight budget.
Overall Rating3.1/5 3.1Learn more.'>1 Ecom Freedom 10% Discount
About our 31-factor editorial review processJump to…The Best Amazon FBA Course?How does Ecom Freedom help you make money?Who is it for?Dan Vas ReputationAre students getting results?Price (and discount) infoRefund policyCourse structurePraiseCriticismOther things you should knowShould you join Ecom Freedom?AlternativesLeave your reviewAsk a questionAbout the Author
Hey, I’m Niall Doherty.
I quit my last 9-to-5 job back in 2010.
Since then, I’ve earned my living online in various ways. Last year (2021) I earned $208,536 from my laptop.
I’m on a mission to accurately rate and review all the best online business courses. My team and I are spending many hours investigating these courses and getting feedback from real students.
All that to say: we know a thing or two about such courses and making money online.
The Best Ecommerce Course?We’re on a mission to find the best ecommerce course, based on feedback from real students combined with our own extensive research.
I consider Ecom Freedom to be a solid course, but it doesn’t quite make the top of our list…
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1.Proven Amazon Course (review)4.6/5 2.Freedom Ticket (review)4.4/5 3.Amazon Boot Camp (review)3.8/5
See all reviews of ecommerce courses »
How does Ecom Freedom help you make money?
Ecom Freedom is a series of online courses that aim to teach you how to build an ecommerce business.
The two main courses are…
Amazon FBA courseShopify course
There are multiple strategies you can use for selling via both Amazon and Shopify, and Ecom Freedom teaches you specifically about private labeling. This is when you create your own branded physical products to sell on either of these two platforms.
With Amazon FBA, customers will be finding your product and buying it via Amazon. With Shopify, you will essentially be setting up your own website and trying to drive customers to it.
Given the size of their respective communities, it seems Amazon FBA is the more popular route for Ecom Freedom students.
Learn more about Amazon FBAWho is Ecom Freedom for?The sales page for Ecom Freedom doesn’t specify exactly who will benefit the most from the training. But it’s a safe assumption that it is intended for both ecommerce newbies and veterans, as they say…
We have members that joined 4 years ago and are still benefiting from updated course material.
I found the course to be regularly updated and quite comprehensive, so I tend to agree with the above.
70+ ways how to make money online (including easy options)Does Dan Vas have a good reputation?For the most part, yes.
Dan’s training, Ecom Freedom, seems solid. It is well put together and doesn’t focus just on Amazon and Shopify. There’s a big focus on mindset and also on various legalities, including taxes in the US, UK, EU, Canada, and even Australia.
I believe Dan’s training saves most students a lot of time and frustration when building ecommerce business.
But one thing that gives me pause is that Dan Vas is rather mysterious. He claims that he has made millions of dollars with Amazon FBA – which I have no good reason to doubt – but otherwise not much is known about him.
Dan does have a big following on YouTube however. Here’s a video from his channel so you can get a feel for his style…
I have seen numerous claims online that Dan Vas is a conman, but my research has revealed little substance to these accusations. Dan has enrolled 11,000+ students in his paid courses, so I’m not surprised to see a few disgruntled customers.
That said, I’m not a fan of this claim on the sales page for Ecom Freedom’s Amazon FBA course…
There has never been a better time to start an Amazon FBA business.
As covered in our FBA starter guide, I consider 2016 to 2018 to be the golden age of Amazon FBA. People starting today can still definitely make money with this business model, but IMO it’s not as easy as it used to be.
Are Ecom Freedom students getting results?Browse through the official Ecom Freedom websites and you’ll find no shortage of student testimonials.
For example…
Such screenshots are great, but many are from 2019 and 2020. I found much fewer from recent years. Which means: either the Ecom Freedom folks are slow to update their marketing materials, or students haven’t been reporting quite as many success stories lately.
Also, keep in mind that pretty much every screenshot you see here is reporting revenue and not profit. As noted in our Amazon FBA primer, a 20-30% profit margin is typical for an FBA business. So anyone reporting $10,000 in revenue is likely earning $2000-3000 in profit.
All that said, compared to other ecommerce courses I’ve reviewed, the testimonials for Ecom Freedom are still quite substantial and impressive.
How much does Ecom Freedom cost?All parts of Ecom Freedom come with multiple payment options, and all of them give you lifetime access to the training. Which means you get free updates.
(And remember, you can get a good taste of each course via the free 7-day trial offered by Ecom Freedom.)
Here’s how much the Amazon FBA course costs…
$1997 one-timeTwo monthly payments of $1098 ($2196 total)Three monthly payments of $799 ($2397 total)In addition to that cost, Dan notes in a video on the course sales page that you should have a budget of at least $1500 – and ideally $3000 – to give yourself a fair chance of success with the course.
You would be using that budget to sign up for premium software (eg. Jungle Scout), buy inventory, pay for advertising, etc.
Here’s how much the Ecom Freedom Shopify Course costs…
$997 one-time2 monthly payments of $547 ($1094 total)3 monthly payments of $397 ($1191 total)I couldn’t find any information about additional costs on the sales page for the Shopify course. But there’s a lesson in the first module where Dan lays out three budget options…
Low Starting Budget ($750 – $1,000)Medium Starting Budget ($1,500 – $2,500)High Starting Budget ($2,500 – $5,000)Lastly, Ecom Freedom also has a kind of Shopify mini-course called The Shopify Blueprint, which costs $297.
Ecom Freedom Discount?One sure-fire way to get a discount for Ecom Freedom is to sign up via someone else’s referral link. Here are my referral links if you’d like to use them…
Ecom Freedom Amazon FBA Course – 10% DiscountEcom Freedom Shopify Course – 10% DiscountAside from that, there seem to be occasional discounts available for Ecom Freedom, so it’s good to check their sales page occasionally for info on this. You’ll usually see a clear notice atop the page when there is a discount available.
As far as I know, you can’t combine discount offers.
Refund Policy & Free TrialEcom Freedom offers a 7-day free trial for both their Amazon FBA and Shopify courses…
To show you the quality of our training, we are offering a completely free 7 day zero risk trial.
The free trial of each program gives you access to the first 3 modules.
However, you are required to enter your payment info BEFORE you get access to the free trial. It’s then up to you to cancel your trial within 7 days if you don’t want to be charged for the full course.
Within the training, they are pretty good about showing you how to cancel the free trial if you wish. They also show you how you can upgrade ahead of time, thereby charging your card ahead of schedule and getting full access to the training before 7 days have elapsed.
I’m a bit torn about this free trial approach. It’s great that people can sample the course without paying anything up front. But at the same time it’s quite easy to forget you’ve entered your payment details at the beginning and get surprised by a big charge 7 days later.
Ultimately, I’d rather pay up front and have a simple no-questions-asked refund policy that lasts for at least 30 days.
But for both the Amazon FBA and Shopify courses, it is stated on the Terms of Service page…
After the initial 7 day free trial period, we have a strict no refund policy due to the abundance of time giving to you during the 7 day free trial to make an informed decision on keeping the course or not.
Also, not that there is no free trial or refund policy for the Shopify Blueprint training…
How is Ecom Freedom structured?Due to the information we are giving out in the blueprint, the Ecom Freedom Shopify Blueprint is Final sale.
Once you’re logged in, you’ll first be prompted to select a course. Here’s what the training looks like afterwards…
The calendar’s primary purpose seems to be to show you the dates of mentorship calls. Underneath it is a field where you can write your goal and complete achievements.
Once you click into a lesson, you’ll see an interface like this…
There are also additional materials below the videoThe Amazon FBA Course has 12 modules, while the Shopify Course has 10.
Both courses have videos that can last from 2 to 40+ minutes.
There are apparently over 100 hours of video training in each course. I believe this includes the live call recordings.
I found both courses to be well structured and comprehensive, with a handy text summary of each lesson. But I wish there was a search function to make referring back to certain lessons and topics easier.
Both courses also offer “Unlimited Mentorship with 7 Figure Sellers via Private FB Messenger.” So you can message other people from the private community with any questions or struggles you have.
You also get access to 2 bonus courses when you sign up for either the Shopify or FBA program…
Both courses are quite short – about 2 hours of video content combined – but I think they’ll prove especially helpful to anyone new to entrepreneurship. In them, Dan covers a lot of the mindset shifts that are required to succeed in business, and also topics such as taxes, registering a business, budgeting and setting up bank accounts.
Regarding the community aspect of the training, Ecom Freedom has private Facebook groups for both Amazon FBA and Shopify courses.
There are 7000+ members in the FBA group and 4000+ in the Shopify group. Dan rarely posts or comments in either, but I found the admins and moderators in each group to be knowledgeable, helpful and responsive.
Both groups are quite active, but I actually expected them to be more active given the thousands of members.
Green Lights Some positive points for Ecom Freedom…
Surprisingly comprehensive core training.7-day (limited) free trialRegularly updated, with free updates for existing students.Weekly live group calls.Helpful and supportive private community.Red Flags A few things to be wary of regarding Ecom Freedom…
Somewhat expensive compared to other ecommerce courses.Lack of significant success stories from students who started after 2020.No search functionality; hard to find specific lessons.Unclear if Dan Vas is still actively selling on Amazon; the man is a bit of a mysteryOther things you should knowYou can get to know Dan Vas better via the many free videos on his popular YouTube channel. Some people claim that Dan’s content there is better than the training offered within Ecom Freedom. I personally wouldn’t agree with that, as Dan’s premium training is much better laid out and easier to follow overall. Plus, you get access to the private community.👇 Subscribe to eBiz Weekly 👇Every Friday we email 25,601 people like you with top tips, insights and opportunities to build your online business. No hype, no scams, no fake gurus. Sign up below to get the next one.
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Should you join Ecom Freedom?
If you’re a big fan of Dan Vas and eager to learn Amazon FBA or Shopify from him, then his Ecom Freedom courses are likely a worthwhile investment for you. You’ll find some good tips, processes and mentors within the training and private community.
If you’re on the fence, give the 7-day free trial a shot. Just make sure to set a reminder before you get charged, so you can cancel if you’re not seeing enough value there.
Lastly, if you’re on a tight budget or don’t particularly want to learn ecommerce from Dan Vas, I’d recommend starting with some lower-priced courses (see below) to test the waters and see if this kind of business is a good fit for you.
Learn more about Amazon FBAEcom Freedom – Key PointsAbout
Amazon FBA and Shopify ecommerce courses from Dan Vas.
💰 Price
From $297 to $1997 (details, discount info)
😍 Pros
Free 7-day trial, comprehensive training, weekly live calls, regularly updated.
😩 Cons
Lacks more recent testimonials, somewhat expensive, Dan Vas seems rather mysterious.
Verdict
Recommend for fans of Dan Vas who aren’t on a tight budget.
Overall Rating3.1/5 3.1Learn more.'>2 Ecom Freedom 10% Discount
Ecom Freedom Alternatives
Here are the top ecommerce courses we’ve reviewed…
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1.Proven Amazon Course (review)4.6/5 2.Freedom Ticket (review)4.4/5 3.Amazon Boot Camp (review)3.8/5 4.The Last Amazon Course (review)3.8/5 5.Just One Dime (review)3.4/5 6.Private Label Masters (review)3.3/5 7.Marketplace Superheroes (review)3.2/5 8.Ecom Freedom (review)3.1/5 9.Nine University (review)2.8/5 10.Hustlers University (review)2.7/5
See all reviews of ecommerce courses »
Other ways to make money onlineYour Thoughts on Ecom FreedomHave you taken this course yourself?
Add your rating so others can see if it’s worthwhile.Do you have a question about this course?
Let us know below and we’ll try find the answer.👇 Subscribe to eBiz Weekly 👇
Every Friday we email 25,601 people like you with top tips, insights and opportunities to build your online business. No hype, no scams, no fake gurus. Sign up below to get the next one.
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August 25, 2022
eBiz Weekly #190
eBiz Weekly is a free newsletter packed with tips, insights and opportunities to build your online business. We send it out every Friday to 25,601 legendary subscribers. We also post the content of each email here on the website.
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View the archive
This week:
$6K/Month Automation ManagerGoogle’s Helpful Content UpdateUdemy’s Big Sale1.2M Followers in 6 MonthsFind Content Ideas Quick & Easy7-Figure SaaS Success StoryHobby Project to $300,000/YearNew Reviews (+ $250 Giveaway)One of the Ultimate Advantages$6K/Month Automation ManagerFreelancing is my top recommendation for anyone looking to get started working online (tied with getting a remote job).
But what skill do you freelance?
Ideally it’s something you can learn fast, and quickly earn a good living from.
Sami Abid’s story provides a solid argument for learning the skill of automation with no-code and low-code tools.
He started his consulting business less than 2 years ago, was able to quit his day job this past January, and is now earning a steady $6000 per month via retainer contracts
Sami writes…
coding was always my limitation. But low-code meant I needed to know very little or, in most cases, no coding knowledge at all to build systems and solve problems.
To achieve results for clients, Sami uses low- and no-code apps such as Airtable, Notion, Zoho, HubSpot, Zapier, and Integromat.
He started off “with minor projects valued at $200-$400” and worked his way up to contracts valued at $2000 a pop
Sami did gain experience with the aforementioned tools at his day job. But there’s nothing stopping you from learning them on your own time. Many have excellent training materials and free plans you can practice with.
Related: How a college student built, scaled and sold a startup using no-code tools
Google’s Helpful Content UpdateGoogle is currently rolling out an update to its search algorithm this week, called the helpful content update.
It is expected to have “a meaningful impact on the search results,” which has many folks who rely heavily on search engine traffic – myself included – anxious to see how it will affect their business 
(History has shown that even sites widely regarded as top-notch can experience a sudden drop in traffic after a Google algorithm update. Prime example.)
Matt Diggity just released a helpful video detailing 9 mistakes that can get your website penalized by Google, and how to fix them. And the guys from Authority Hacker give their take on the update here.
Udemy’s Big SaleHappening now and until the end of August: Udemy’s biggest sale of the season
With that you can get Udemy courses for as little as $10 or up to 85% off.
There are plenty of crappy courses on Udemy, but also some gems 
Below are a few hand-picked courses that I can vouch for…
The Complete Copywriting CourseJonas Schmedtmann’s Web Development CoursesWriting With Flair: How To Become An Exceptional WriterRelated: Udemy review
1.2M Followers in 6 MonthsAlex Hormozi reveals his strategy in this 11-minute video
One commenter calls it, “literally a $5000 course in a single video”
Alex spends $70,000 per month to put out ~160 pieces of organic content each month, but claims it would cost him about $2 million per month if he was paying for ads to get the same impressions.
Even on a small or non-existent budget though, you can learn from Alex’s strategy to boost your own following online
Matt Giovanisci shares “the quickest & easiest way to find an endless supply of content ideas for your niche!”
In a nutshell
Matt writes…
7-Figure SaaS Success StoryThis will reveal all the questions commenters ask on a competitor’s most popular video. All you have to do now is answer those questions on your own site, channel, or social profile.
The SaaS is Nextsale, and they basically help online stores increase conversions
For example, they help the stores collect email addresses and phone numbers of site visitors, then follow up to close the sale.
The business was started by three friends in 2019, and the first sentence of this profile is telling…
After working in e-commerce for nearly a decade, Taleh Karimli, Vusal Orujov and Orkhan Hajiyev recognized a common challenge that online shop owners faced.
Through working in ecommerce for 10 years, they were well versed in the challenges and opportunities for a software business.
If you’ve been working in a specific niche or industry for a while, keep an eye out for challenges or opportunities you might be able to leverage into a successful business
Nextsale sold to AppHub in November 2021…
Hobby Project to $300,000/YearThe sale price was low-7 figures, which was a 7.5x multiple of its annual recurring revenue… At the time of sale, Nextsale had about 4,000 customers and a team of five people, including the three co-founders.
Here’s another story of someone turning their own experience and pain point into a successful business
Damon Chen built and launched Lonely.dev during the pandemic, “a sort of video diary for indie makers.”
“I was working from home and I felt isolated. I missed my office. When we see each other’s faces instead of just a Twitter handle, it’s much more personalized. We can make friends with one another. It’s real.”
That project didn’t make him any money, but…
He looked at the platform he’d built and how video feedback had helped so many in his community become better at what they do. If it worked for makers, perhaps it’d also help companies attract more customers.
So was born Testimonial.to, a service that helps businesses collect video testimonials from customers. Damon reports that the business has already pulled in $300,000 this year in recurring revenue.
And he’s shooting for $500,000 before year’s end
My team and I are constantly reviewing courses that claim to teach you some method for making money online
(We use a pretty intense 31-factor review process to assess each course, combined with feedback from real students.)
The latest reviews we’ve published/updated, in order of rating…
The SavvySystem – virtual assistant – 4.1 starsSuperstar Blogging – blogging – 3.3 starsBecoming a Blogger – blogging – 3.2 stars$10K VA – virtual assistant – 2.7 starsSee here for the full list of courses we’ve rated and reviewed to date.
If you’ve done any of those courses yourself, please consider taking a minute to rate it via this page. When we publish your review, you’ll be entered into a monthly draw to win up to $250, and we’ll donate $5 on your behalf to educate a girl in rural Africa ($2715 donated so far).
Want to review a course that’s not listed? Tell me about it here.
One of the Ultimate AdvantagesEarlier I mentioned Alex Hormozi gaining 1.2 million followers online in only six months
While that is super-fast progress, Alex still emphasizes the importance of patience.
He quotes Neil Strauss at the 7:30 mark of the same video…
Patience is one of the ultimate advantages, in that you’re just willing to do things for an unreasonably long period of time without thinking you’re smarter than you really are.
Neil also has an article full of examples of famous people who had to be patient before they achieved success.
A taste
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In case you missed em, here are the last three editions of eBiz Weekly:
#189 – $20K/Month Online Art Teacher#188 – Sold His Website for $4 Million#187 – He Made $100,000 Copywriting.Full archiveUntil next week, rock on with your legendary self
—
Niall Doherty – El Tarter, Andorra
eBiz Facts
By the way...
Rate and Review an Online Course
Have you ever taken a course that promised to help you make money online? Share your experience with that course and we’ll donate $5 on your behalf to educate a girl in rural Africa.
How To Make Money Online
A deep article laying out all the possibilities for making money online, based on the 6 levels and 19 types of online business.
Recommended Resources
Check out our collection of the best tools and resources for building an online business. Web hosting, email marketing, productivity, top-rated courses, etc.
Free Courses
A massive list of FREE Udemy courses to help build your online business. We only list top-rated courses – minimum 50 ratings – and update every 24 hours.
Find A Remote Job
See our list of the best ways to find a remote job, based on 100+ hours of research and testing.
Start Earning Online
A free crash course to help you build an online business, consists of 11 videos shot in Spain, Russia and Montenegro.
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Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp Review
This is a stub review of Amanda Kolbye’s course: Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp.
Amanda’s сourse aims to teach you how to make money online by scaling your freelance business.
(Have you taken this course? Add your rating!)
Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp – Key PointsAbout
Amanda Kolbye’s entrepreneurship course.
💰 Price
$2997 for lifetime access (more info)
Overall RatingIncomplete/5 View Alternatives
About our 31-factor editorial review processHow does Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp help you make money?
The Laptop Lifestyle is a unique, cohort-based program that aims to teach novice female entrepreneurs how to scale their own business.
As Amanda states on the sales page…
Learn more about freelancingLearn more about becoming a virtual assistantHow much does Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp cost?We combine knowledge + tools & templates + customize coaching + community so that you are not only learning how to run a business, but also saving time, customizing your approach and working through your personalized thoughts and goals, and fully supported by a global community of women that become your first clients, your best friends, and your network for life.
The listed price for the Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp is $2997.
You can also pay in 4 monthly installments of $800, or 8 monthly installments of $425.
Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp Discount?Sorry, there doesn’t seem to be any discount available for the Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp.
Refund PolicyThe sales page for the Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp specifies a 60-day money-back guarantee…
Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp Alternatives
We are so confident you are going to love Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp just like hundreds of our other students that we are happy to offer you a 60 day money back guarantee.
This program is tested and proven to bring results and we’ve got the stats to back it up. We wholeheartedly know that if you show up, put in the time and work, and give this program your all, you will have no problem skyrocketing your business forward.
If you participate for 60 days and do the work per our Refund Policy and still don’t feel like we fulfilled our end of the bargain, we’ll refund you (but full disclosure: no one’s ever asked!).
Here are the top freelance programs we’ve reviewed…
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1.The Savvy System (review)4.1/5 2.90 Day VA (review)4.0/5 3.Hustlers University (review)2.7/5 Arise Work From Home (review)Incomplete/5 Bookkeeper Launch (review)Incomplete/5 Coach's Secret (review)Incomplete/5 Elite CEOs (review)Incomplete/5 Freelance Writers Den (review)Incomplete/5 Fully Booked VA (review)Incomplete/5 Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp (review)Incomplete/5
See all reviews of freelance courses »
And these are the best virtual assistant programs we’ve reviewed…
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1.The Savvy System (review)4.1/5 2.90 Day VA (review)4.0/5 3.10k VA (review)2.7/5 Fully Booked VA (review)Incomplete/5 Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp (review)Incomplete/5 Pinterest VA (review)Incomplete/5 The Techie Mentor VA Success System (review)Incomplete/5 VA Foundry Members Club (review)Incomplete/5 VA Handbook DIY Course (review)Incomplete/5 Virtual Excellence Academy (review)Incomplete/5
See all reviews of virtual assistant courses »
Other ways to make money online
Enter your email below and we’ll let you know when we have more info about Amanda Kolbye’s training.
Want to know when this page is updated?Join 25,601 subscribers on our mailing list and we'll keep you in the loop. You'll also receive my weekly newsletter packed with tips, strategies and opportunities to build your online business.
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Your Thoughts on Laptop Lifestyle BootcampHave you taken this course yourself?
Add your rating so others can see if it’s worthwhile.Do you have a question about this course?
Let us know below and we’ll try find the answer.
The VA Foundry Members Club Review
This is a stub review of Sam and Jo’s training and community: The VA Foundry Members Club.
Sam and Jo’s program aims to teach you how to make money online by becoming a successful virtual assistant.
(Have you taken this course? Add your rating!)
The VA Foundry Members Club – Key PointsAbout
Sam and Jo’s virtual assistant community that aims to help experienced VAs get even better.
💰 Price
$97 per month (more info)
Overall RatingIncomplete/5 View Alternatives
About our 31-factor editorial review processHow does The VA Foundry Members Club help you make money?
This program aims to help you become a better and more successful virtual assistant.
A virtual assistant is someone who works online, helping another person or business with various tasks (eg. email management, data entry, customer service, etc).
As Sam and Jo write on the course sales page…
Learn more about becoming a virtual assistantHow much does The VA Foundry Members Club cost?
We’re here to show you our proven method to scale a thriving virtual assistant business.
With expert coaching, a library of templates, videos, checklists, and worksheets – we share everything we’ve used to build our own successful VA businesses.
Get our support and that of a tight-knit group of global VAs so you’ll never feel like you’re doing this alone.
The listed price for The VA Foundry Members Club is $97 per month.
You can also pay $970 for one year of access to the community.
The VA Foundry Members Club Discount?Sorry, there doesn’t seem to be any discount available for The VA Foundry Members Club.
Refund PolicyThere doesn’t seem to be any refunds available for the membership fee.
But the sales page for the program states that you can cancel your membership at any time…
The VA Foundry Members Club AlternativesYou have complete control over your billing and can cancel anytime via your login. No awkwardness – just full control.
Here are the top virtual assistant programs we’ve reviewed…
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1.The Savvy System (review)4.1/5 2.90 Day VA (review)4.0/5 3.10k VA (review)2.7/5 Fully Booked VA (review)Incomplete/5 Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp (review)Incomplete/5 Pinterest VA (review)Incomplete/5 The Techie Mentor VA Success System (review)Incomplete/5 VA Foundry Members Club (review)Incomplete/5 VA Handbook DIY Course (review)Incomplete/5 Virtual Excellence Academy (review)Incomplete/5
See all reviews of virtual assistant courses »
Other ways to make money online
Enter your email below and we’ll let you know when we have more info about Sam and Jo & The VA Foundry’s training.
Want to know when this page is updated?Join 25,601 subscribers on our mailing list and we'll keep you in the loop. You'll also receive my weekly newsletter packed with tips, strategies and opportunities to build your online business.
HP
We'll first send a confirmation email to make sure it’s you 🔒
Check out our privacy policy to see how we protect and manage your data.
Your Thoughts on The VA Foundry Members ClubHave you taken this course yourself?
Add your rating so others can see if it’s worthwhile.Do you have a question about this course?
Let us know below and we’ll try find the answer.
