How an Online Business Can Give You a Life of Freedom
Today is our 17th wedding anniversary. I wouldn’t be here without her. Thanks, baby 
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I used to hate the word “lifestyle” business. Every time I heard it I thought of those spammy ads you see on Facebook talking about the “laptop” lifestyle. UGH. I have come to see in the last few months that a lifestyle business isn’t a negative thing—or at least it doesn’t have to be.
In 2011, I self-published my first book. I hadn’t joined social media before then, and I never touched computers. I heard a podcast called Smart Passive Income and was intrigued by this idea of making money from an “Internet business.” To be honest, I didn’t think it was possible for a blue-collar guy like myself.
The first year of doing this was kind of a joke. I had no clue what I was doing and spent that year chasing my tail. I listened to 20 podcasts regularly and read all kinds of blogs that talked about this topic. A lot of the information was contradictory and confused me into inaction.
In the financial world, they have a term for this. When someone is pushing an investment they think is right, they say that person is “pushing their book.” It could be stocks, bonds, oil, or whatever; that person has a vested interest in you believing what they’re pushing. This happens a lot in the online world.
Someone believes and makes money in SEO, so that’s what they push. Another person makes their money from affiliate marketing, so they push why you should be doing it and why you should buy their program. Marketers and online people are pushing their book because that’s how they make money.
An online business is simple. You create a website that tells the world who you help and how you help them. You get exposure in the places your audience respects and frequents online—like large publications (I’m pushing my book). A few of those people sign up for your email list to hear more.
You create courses, products, and services that offer different ways to solve several of your audience’s problems. A few buy and you scale. Yes, that’s what an online business is at its base. Somewhere along the way we, or the people we follow, complicate the process. We get off track thinking we need to have things a certain way, or we copy someone who’s successful. Some even chase influencers thinking that’s their key to success, Jared and I have written a book that talks about this.
An online business is something you create around a burning desire to help a certain group of people get a specific result. It comes from your why and is built using the access and knowledge the Internet and social media have created for us today.
You have the ability to create something that’s digital. You get paid for the knowledge you have or the research you do. A lot of people struggle with what kind of online business they can create. There’s no easy answer. You have to take some time to think about your passion. Yes, passion is important in deciding even though it’s not enough on its own.
FREE guide to helping you find your passion: The Little Guide To Figuring Out Your Dream.
You may have multiple passions; it’s your job to work through them and narrow them down to what you want to do. If you follow “my book,” writing for large media publications is an important part of this equation. When you write for publications that get millions of visitors, being a little more general works in your favor.
Think bigger topics and bigger problems. Idea niching rarely works, but industry niching can be powerful. This month we’ll get into specifics. An online business is an excellent way to create a life of freedom while making enough money to support the kind of life you want to live.
Audio Version:
What’s your “why” behind the online business you’re creating?
