Niall Doherty's Blog, page 181
February 21, 2020
eBiz Weekly #59
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February 13, 2020
eBiz Weekly #58
eBiz Weekly is a free newsletter packed with tips, insights and opportunities to build your online business. We send it out every Friday to 4,222 legendary subscribers. We also post the content of each email here on the website.
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February 12, 2020
How I built a service business to $20k/month recurring and achieved the 4-hour workweek
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Gabe ArnoldFrom Ohio, USAFounder & Chief Pencil Sharpener at Copywriter Today
Business Model: Agency$20,000monthly revenue$10,000monthly profitAll info self-reported by intervieweePublished February 13, 2020Reviewed and edited by Rita Epps
Who are you and how do you make money online?
Hi, my name is Gabe Arnold, and I’m unemployable.
Not “unemployed”, unemployable 
February 7, 2020
eBiz Weekly #57
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February 6, 2020
How I earn 6 figures online as an international business coach (and how you can too)
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Jacob AldridgeFrom Brisbane, AustraliaInternational Business Advisor, Speaker & Author at JacobAldridge.com
Business Model: Freelance$14,000+monthly revenue$10,000+monthly profitAll info self-reported by intervieweePublished February 6, 2020Reviewed and edited by Rita Epps
Who are you and how do you make money online?
I’m Jacob Aldridge. I’m an international business advisor, keynote speaker, Guinness World Record holder, published author, TV show host, start-up investor, loving father, and an amazing husband.
Crunch Accounting in the UK called me “the ultimate remote worker”. I’m also really modest.
My primary income is Business Coaching & Advisory.
I work directly with business owners, usually 1-on-1 via Zoom, when they find themselves stuck and need a trusted advisor who understands all the different aspects of the business (Wealth, Growth, Revenue, Productivity) in a practical way.
My business model isn’t unique, but in a world where the average business coach lasts less than three years…
…I’ve been doing this successfully since 2006 and actually still work with my first ever client.
So I practice what I preach, including having my own coach, and offer clients a comprehensive business methodology from Start-Up to Sell-Up.
Last year I earned just over $200,000 AUS, which is all Gross Profit and works out at about $10,000 per month after expenses and taxes.
That was working part-time because we had our first baby and visited 21 different countries.
(All the figures I’m sharing are in Australian Dollars, since that’s where I pay my taxes. It basically converts 1:1 into US Dollars – the exchange rate is weak right now, but when I’ve worked in the US or with US peers we charge the same number of USD as we do AUD and the market accepts that.)
What does a typical workday look like for you?
My business is online, and our lifestyle is semi-nomadic (we’re working on that).
Most of my dollar-productive activity is in face-to-face conversations with my clients. These are usually done through Zoom wherever I am in the world.
I also aim to spend some time each year near my larger clients in Australia and the UK so they receive some in-person love. And I speak at many conferences each year, so my income isn’t totally online (but could be).
Jacob delivering a Conference Keynote Presentation.I like to book my client sessions in the mornings. I’m a slow-paced “Maker”, so afternoon meetings mess with my energy.
I’ll either have meetings all day, or aim to have them only before lunchtime. Time-zones mess with this, as I have clients around the world so often end up with early evening calls as well.
I love working evenings, but on my more creative endeavors – whether that’s writing blogs or preparing strategic recommendations.
Afternoons are for Admin or Business Development activity.
I aim to keep a few days every month clear from any phone calls so I can work on my strategic priorities.
Lately, that’s been finalizing The Start-up Business Guide which went on sale this January.
Next week I do the test recordings for a co-hosted podcast on experiencing IVF from the man’s side.
Before I went location-independent, my average client was larger and I would normally spend a half-day or a full-day in their office, designing strategy with the leadership team.
That’s hard to do remotely, so now most of my clients are 1-on-1 or 1-on-2 with the business owners, CEO, or key individuals. Less contact = smaller fees = more clients, or at least more meetings each month.
It’s not ideal for me, but it’s a trade-off for the travel.
The biggest shift in the past year hasn’t been truly taking the business “on the road” to try the Digital Nomad life…it was welcoming our first child.
And to be honest, I’m still learning the new routines and how work will fit into the new normal. For instance, a lot of my ‘Afternoon’ tasks have been shifted to ‘After Bed’ tasks, which probably isn’t sustainable.
There’s no doubt I would be earning more money if I was based in one location.
Some clients want me in-person only, and some services I offer – like the leadership teamwork or off-site Retreat facilitation – can’t be done properly online.
February 3, 2020
We Analyzed 2 Million Freelancer Profiles. Here’s Who Earns The Most Money
We analyzed more than 2 million freelancer profiles on Upwork to better understand which skills are paying the best right now.
Specifically, we identified which skills and categories have the most freelancers earning at least $1000 per month (ie. $60/hour rate with at least 100 hours billed in the last 6 months).
Summary of our Key Findings:
Many of the most lucrative skills on Upwork are related to programming, with 20.9% of freelancers who earn at least $1000/month describing themselves as developers and another 6.5% listing skills related to software.Marketing skills also appear to be quite lucrative. 7.7% of freelancers who charge more than $60/hour offer marketing-related services.WordPress is the single most lucrative programming skill. But freelancers who combine skills to become “full stack” developers seem to earn even more.Of all the freelancers who offer writing-related services, copywriters and editors appear to earn the most.For every 800 freelancers on Upwork, only 1 earns more than $1000 per month.Self-proclaimed experts do better than self-proclaimed professionals, gurus, ninjas, or wizards.Skills which appear to be the least lucrative on Upwork include transcription, life coach, and admin support.
Details and additional data from our study below.
Best Paying Freelance Jobs | Best Paying Programming Jobs | Best Paying Writing Jobs | Methodology | Limitations | Bonus
4 Proven Upwork Cover Letter Templates
How To Avoid Upwork Scams And Find The Best Jobs
What Ivan Did To Beat 50+ Freelancers On Upwork
8 Keys To A Killer Upwork Profile
How To Compete With Cheap Freelancers On Upwork
How Justin Went From $9 to $50/Hour On Upwork In 12 Months
How Susan Earned $1,375 Her First Month On Upwork
81 Best Paying Freelance Jobs On Upwork
81 Best Paying Freelance Jobs On Upwork
RankSkill / CategoryNumber of freelancers earning at least $60/hour,
minimum 100 billed hours last 6 months1developer6452marketing2373consultant2364software2015full stack1996web developer1997wordpress1268seo879copywriter8310graphic designer7611software developer7012app developer6213editor6014web designer6015sales5316salesforce5217data scientist4418google ads4019shopify4020optimization3221facebook ads3122video3123social media3024research2225researcher2226cpa1827data visualization1828accountant1729coach1630Presentation1631technical writer1632PowerPoint1533programmer1334video editor1235bookkeeper1136data science1137landing page1038editing939accounting840blogger841lawyer842legal843video editing844trainer745assistant646bitcoin647conversion rate optimization648instagram649proofreader650animation551business coach552ghostwriter553bookkeeping454landing pages455photographer456translator457virtual assistant458youtube459affiliate360health361pinterest362programming363web development364affiliate marketing265audio production266customer service267data entry268games269music270testing271translation272videographer273voice over274audio engineer175autocad176blogging177customer support178executive assistant179ghost writer180ghostwriting181proofreading182admin support083crypto084ghost writing085life coach086nutritionist087photography088sound design089transcription090transcriptionist091videography092voice talent093voiceover0
Best Paying Freelance Jobs On Upwork – Breakdown
Key Takeaways
If you can code and/or sell, you’ll find plenty of high-paying jobs on Upwork.Web developers tend to earn more than web designersGoogle ads freelancers tend to earn more than Facebook ads freelancersHard to know if it’s causation or correlation, but the words freelancers use in their profiles seem to make a big difference. For example, if you use the words data scientist instead of data science, you’re 4x more likely to be a top earner.We didn’t find a single transcriptionist on Upwork earning $60/hour or more consistently. $40/hour seems to be the best-case scenario for freelance transcriptionists.
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January 31, 2020
eBiz Weekly #56
eBiz Weekly is a free newsletter packed with tips, insights and opportunities to build your online business. We send it out every Friday to 4,168 legendary subscribers. We also post the content of each email here on the website.
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January 29, 2020
How I earn $35,000/month online with affiliate marketing and digital info products
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Matt GiovanisciFrom Philadelphia, USAOwner of Ace Media LLC
Business Model: Authority$35,000monthly revenue$12,000monthly profitAll info self-reported by intervieweePublished January 30, 2020Reviewed and edited by Rita Epps
Who are you and how do you make money online?
My name is Matt Giovanisci and I’m half Italian.
In 2006, I started a website called SwimUniversity.com. It’s about taking care of swimming pools and hot tubs. That’s the biz I was in since I was 13 years old. At 25, I took my expertise online.
Swim University makes money with Amazon Associates and selling my own digital info products. Mainly a pool care eBook and video course, and the same for hot tub care.
Swim University and two other websites – MoneyLab.co and BrewCabin.com – earn my parent company, Ace Media LLC, around $35,000/month (my business is very seasonal).
With about $23,000 in expenses (including my own salary), the business profits roughly $12,000 a month.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
I wake up every day whenever I want.
Usually when the sun comes up. For me, that’s around 8am. Then, I putz around on my phone in bed for about an hour. Watch YouTube videos, read email, check Twitter, read a little, etc.
Then I make breakfast for my girlfriend and I. Then we drink coffee in the living room. Then, I get to work around 10-11am.
From there, I know exactly what I have to do because we run a tight ship. Everything is tasked out in Asana. The entire business runs that way.
And each day is a bit different – I don’t like repetition.
Except every Thursday is a podcast recording day. I run two podcasts: Money Lab (Online Business) and Listen Money Matters (Personal Finance).
I might write some content for Money Lab. Code up some stuff for any of my websites. Write some emails. Do some marketing stuff. Tweet. Whatever really.
My team is the one who creates consistent content including articles, videos, and graphics. I mainly do CEO stuff now.
But that wasn’t always the case.
In the beginning, I did everything.
Coding, design, writing, videos, podcasting, you name it. But now I just focus on growth and general management stuff.
I work about 30-40 hours a week. I love working.
I love being productive. I can sit at the computer for 24 hours straight if you let me (and depending on what I’m working on).
But I don’t do that. I shut down around 6 or 7pm.
I take time off on the weekends. But even on the weekends, I like to be productive.
I’m a homebrewer, so I’ll usually brew about 5-10 gallons of beer every 1-2 weeks. Brewing one batch of beer is an all-day project for me. Plus, I gotta keg or can it later and clean everything.
So it’s not just a weekend thing. In fact, right before I sat down to write this interview, I installed my new kegging system in my kitchen.
All the work we do can be done online.
I like it that way. Everything is run with Asana and Google Drive.
No matter where I am – as long as there’s an internet connection – I can do any kind of work that needs to be done.
A 365-day look at my monotonous life as a self-employed online entrepreneur who works alone from home:
What’s your backstory and how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve been working in the pool industry since I was 13.
I had a summer job at a local pool supply store stocking shelves, ringing up customers, and testing pool water. I did that until I was 16. Then, I got a job at another local pool store and worked my way up to assistant manager.
I graduated from high school, but dropped out of college.
I tried going to community college for two weeks…twice.
But it didn’t work out for me. Plus, I had a job I liked.
Later, I got poached to work at another local pool store as the manager. I did that for a year and completely changed their entire business.
They actually profited the year I was the manager…
…because I developed a system for buying merchandise for the store and set them up on a whole new accounting platform that limited theft.
Then, I got poached to work back at the pool store I left. It was during this time that I learned how to design and code websites. I was in a band and we needed a website but couldn’t afford it.
My boss at the time caught me working on the site at the store…
Instead of firing me, he hired me to design the company’s website. This was in the middle of the winter – there were no customers anyway.
I got good at building websites and decided to try that as my new career.
I got a job at a web design firm for 6 months. And then I got hired back by the same company I left, but this time, I was promoted to the Marketing Director of the entire company.
I got to work in the corporate office and oversee marketing for 4 retail stores – one of which I helped open.
I had a sweet job making good money. But I had to fuck it all up by trying to start my own business on the side.
This was the time I started SwimUniversity.com. A few years later, my boss fired me because of it.
He thought it was a conflict of interest. It wasn’t, but fine.
Long story short, it worked out for me in the end.
But it took me about 7 years after starting the site to actually make a decent living from it.
I made a lot of mistakes.
Focused on the wrong things.
Didn’t validate shit.
All I knew is that people needed help taking care of their pool, and I was going to help them with my articles and videos.
I also knew I could make money with affiliate links and by selling advertising. But I didn’t have any real business plan.
I just focused on writing articles and building traffic through SEO.
Editor’s note: Matt’s Swim University is one of the websites on our list of affiliate marketing website examples.
How I earn $35,000/month with affiliate marketing and digital info products
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Matt GiovanisciFrom Philadelphia, USAOwner of Ace Media LLC
Business Model: Authority$35,000monthly revenue$12,000monthly profitAll info self-reported by intervieweePublished January 30, 2020Reviewed and edited by Rita Epps
Who are you and how do you make money online?
My name is Matt Giovanisci and I’m half Italian.
In 2006, I started a website called SwimUniversity.com. It’s about taking care of pools and hot tubs. That’s the biz I was in since I was 13 years old. At 25, I took my expertise online.
Swim University makes money with Amazon Associates and selling my own digital info products. Mainly a pool care eBook and video course, and the same for hot tub care.
Swim University and two other websites – MoneyLab.co and BrewCabin.com – earn my parent company, Ace Media LLC, around $35,000/month (my business is very seasonal).
With about $23,000 in expenses (including my own salary), the business profits roughly $12,000 a month.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
I wake up every day whenever I want.
Usually when the sun comes up. For me, that’s around 8am. Then, I putz around on my phone in bed for about an hour. Watch YouTube videos, read email, check Twitter, read a little, etc.
Then I make breakfast for my girlfriend and I. Then we drink coffee in the living room. Then, I get to work around 10-11am.
From there, I know exactly what I have to do because we run a tight ship. Everything is tasked out in Asana. The entire business runs that way.
And each day is a bit different – I don’t like repetition.
Except every Thursday is a podcast recording day. I run two podcasts: Money Lab (Online Business) and Listen Money Matters (Personal Finance).
I might write some content for Money Lab. Code up some stuff for any of my websites. Write some emails. Do some marketing stuff. Tweet. Whatever really.
My team is the one who creates consistent content including articles, videos, and graphics. I mainly do CEO stuff now.
But that wasn’t always the case.
In the beginning, I did everything.
Coding, design, writing, videos, podcasting, you name it. But now I just focus on growth and general management stuff.
I work about 30-40 hours a week. I love working.
I love being productive. I can sit at the computer for 24 hours straight if you let me (and depending on what I’m working on).
But I don’t do that. I shut down around 6 or 7pm.
I take time off on the weekends. But even on the weekends, I like to be productive.
I’m a homebrewer, so I’ll usually brew about 5-10 gallons of beer every 1-2 weeks. Brewing one batch of beer is an all-day project for me. Plus, I gotta keg or can it later and clean everything.
So it’s not just a weekend thing. In fact, right before I sat down to write this interview, I installed my new kegging system in my kitchen.
All the work we do can be done online.
I like it that way. Everything is run with Asana and Google Drive.
No matter where I am – as long as there’s an internet connection – I can do any kind of work that needs to be done.
A 365-day look at my monotonous life as a self-employed online entrepreneur who works alone from home:
What’s your backstory and how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve been working in the pool industry since I was 13.
I had a summer job at a local pool supply store stocking shelves, ringing up customers, and testing pool water. I did that until I was 16. Then, I got a job at another local pool store and worked my way up to assistant manager.
I graduated from high school, but dropped out of college.
I tried going to community college for two weeks…twice.
But it didn’t work out for me. Plus, I had a job I liked.
Later, I got poached to work at another local pool store as the manager. I did that for a year and completely changed their entire business.
They actually profited the year I was the manager…
…because I developed a system for buying merchandise for the store and set them up on a whole new accounting platform that limited theft.
Then, I got poached to work back at the pool store I left. It was during this time that I learned how to design and code websites. I was in a band and we needed a website but couldn’t afford it.
My boss at the time caught me working on the site at the store…
Instead of firing me, he hired me to design the company’s website. This was in the middle of the winter – there were no customers anyway.
I got good at building websites and decided to try that as my new career.
I got a job at a web design firm for 6 months. And then I got hired back by the same company I left, but this time, I was promoted to the Marketing Director of the entire company.
I got to work in the corporate office and oversee marketing for 4 retail stores – one of which I helped open.
I had a sweet job making good money. But I had to fuck it all up by trying to start my own business on the side.
This was the time I started SwimUniversity.com. A few years later, my boss fired me because of it.
He thought it was a conflict of interest. It wasn’t, but fine.
Long story short, it worked out for me in the end.
But it took me about 7 years after starting the site to actually make a decent living from it.
I made a lot of mistakes.
Focused on the wrong things.
Didn’t validate shit.
All I knew is that people needed help taking care of their pool, and I was going to help them with my articles and videos.
I also knew I could make money with affiliate links and by selling advertising. But I didn’t have any real business plan.
I just focused on writing articles and building traffic through SEO.
Editor’s note: Matt’s Swim University is one of the websites on our list of affiliate marketing website examples.
January 25, 2020
Best Business Books For Online Entrepreneurs
This is the ultimate list of best business books for online entrepreneurs.
You’ll find dozens of handpicked recommendations below, sorted into categories to help you find the most relevant book for your current situation.
I’ve also included video summaries so you can learn the key lessons of each book in 10 minutes or less 
Let’s start with a shortlist.
These are the three books I recommend every online entrepreneur to read:
