These online entrepreneurs continue to adapt. Although the future is difficult to predict, many are now comfortable with their new direction after all the world changes. Many have found success in catering to their customers’ new lifestyles, which includes a lot of staying at home!

Many of these entrepreneurs continue to work at the strategies that they adapted during these turbulent months. Although many of them found different methods to succeed, it definitely helped that they were in the world of online commerce and content. They have taken advantage of a time where many people were on their computers, and have found a way to shift their offerings to cater to people’s specific wants. 

#1 Takeaway – Stay the Course – In the past few months, we focused on how these online entrepreneurs shifted to the changes in the world economy. Now, they are sticking to these strategies and seeing their efforts pay off. Sometimes, success is all in the follow through. Keep doing what’s working, and you’ll see it pay off. 

• Don’t Be Afraid to Stay Put – Sometimes, there is the constant need to always adapt. Always try that new thing, or move in a new direction. But if something is working, why change it? Often, your best bet is to continue doing what made you successful. This is not to say that you can’t continue to innovate, but sometimes the best innovation is to recognize what’s working and keep doing it. 
• Constant Evaluation – Of course, this strategy comes with a requirement. You need to be able to recognize the reason for your success. You should be constantly evaluating your own strategies, so that you can recognize what’s working and what isn’t. This is a major reason that these entrepreneurs write these income reports in the first place. Not only does it hold them accountable, but it forces them to dig deep into their business practices each month to see what’s working and what isn’t. 

Quick May Update on my End:

• Posts at AuthorityWebsiteIncome.com
  • 15 Digital Marketing Strategies reviewed
  • 4 Unfair Advantages to Grow your Online Business
• Lots of family bike rides and first swims in the bay, although much turmoil in the world it is great to get out and enjoy the outdoors 
• MotionInvest – We worked on the plan to launch the Marketplace which has us selling sites for people that meet our high standards but we don’t buy ourselves. This combined with our Dutch Auction approach to site valuation has resulted in a record number of listings available for sale at MotionInvest!
• ContentRefined – Maddie is off on Mat Leave (congrats) and the new team has done an amazing job transitioning into her role. Narcis in particular has taken on some additional responsibility and is performing extremely well. 
• LightningRank – We have soft launched to a small group an ecommerce focused network of real sites (traffic, earnings etc) that are available for relevant links. Response has been great and 
• BrandBuilders.io – A big giveaway is being planned that is going to be exciting. Brady has done a great job increasing the rate of marketing content creation with a growing YouTube channel. 
• Super Secret Software Project – It is coming soon 🙂
• AdBank – Relay.digital was launched off the back of the adbank tech to help work from home companies continue to communicate the important but never urgent messaging around company culture and values. 

My Reason for This Round Up:

When I started my online entrepreneurship journey I took a lot of inspiration from others that were sharing everything they did online. Seeing that people like me were making REAL money and that the opportunity to replace my day job was possible. 

It has been 3.5 years since I left my day job – https://websiteincome.com/quit-my-job/

The more transparent the report the more I appreciated and was motivated by it. 

Over the years I have tried to be as transparent as possible sharing along the way my goals, business successes/failures and the ultimate results(profits). 

After years of sharing monthly income posts I decided that it made sense to stop these… a decision I actually regret as I wish I had found a way to keep sharing some of what I was doing. 

My reason for stopping was my online world and “real” worlds became more connected and it was becoming very odd to share these numbers.  

Looking at many of the people that originally had an income round up posts they have also stopped. Namely the most famous in the space Pat Flynn no longer does income round ups. 

In this post I will cover…

1. List of inspiring income report posts and how they earned their profits
2. Recognize motivating people showing not just telling people the results they are achieving
3. Learn from others – What the key learning is from the people

Last Month Profit – $13,246.20

Name – Ron Stefanski

Website – onehourprofessor.com

Business Model – Authority Affiliate Site      

Income Report – https://www.onehourprofessor.com/may-2020-monthly-income-report/

Key Lesson(s):

• Ron had a bounce back month, and he expects the growth trend to continue in June. 
• Most of his websites bounced back, but two primary Amazon affiliates continue to suffer due to low affiliate commissions. He also struggled with the new Google algorithm. 
• Ron continues to focus on his YouTube channel, and it continues to grow. He now has a positive ROI. 

Checkout the video I did with Ron and be sure to read his gripping story here!

Last Month Profit – $8,738.29

Name – Johnny FD

Website – johnnyfd.com

Business Model – Mixed – Dropshipping & Investing

Income Report – https://www.johnnyfd.com/2020/05/income-and-expenses-during-lockdown.html

Key Lesson(s):

• Johnny continues to live in Sri Lanka. 
• Johnny had a great month and actually made the most money he has in a while. 
• Johnny has seen his dropshipping stores make great sales this month. He still attributes his success to Anton’s Method of Dropshipping, even seven years later. 
• Johnny was doing so well this month, and living the easy life on the beach, that he decided to create a 100% free dropshipping course just to give back. 

Ryan Robinson

Last Month Profit – $28,152.62

Name – Ryan Robinson

Website – ryrob.com

Business Model – Authority Website (affiliate earnings)

Income Report – https://www.ryrob.com/blog-income-report-april-2020/

Key Lesson(s):

• Blog income rose a good deal for Ryan in May, primarily due to increased affiliate commissions. 
• Ryan gave his writers as much work as they wanted to take on, which is keeping him stocked on content for months. 
• Ryan expects traffic on his blogs to keep increasing into June, which should see even more increased profits. 
• Ryan invests in long-form, in-depth content, which is what he attributes to why it is so actionable. 

Yeys

Last Month Profit – $5407

Name – Anne

Website – www.yeys.com

Business Model – Web Publishing Blog

Income Report – https://yeys.com/may-2020-traffic-revenue-report/

Key Lesson(s): 

• Anne finally made a profit in May, after months of hard work on her project. 
• She saw traffic go up 52%, and revenue go up 54%. 
• Three of her blogs make up the majority of her growth, and continued to grow into May. 
• She makes money with these blogs primarily from display ads and Amazon affiliate links. 
• This month, she experimented with a/b testing on call to action links. She enjoyed this strategy for gaging the success of her links. 

Honourable Mentions:

Although they don’t do exactly income reports, there are a few reports that are worth mentioning and when they publish new reports I will be sure to include.

Am I missing any I should include? Please drop a message in the comment section below with anyone I should include next month!

Several this month didn’t publish so I wasn’t able to include but will again when they publish. 

It was 4 years ago today as I write this that I didn’t go to work at my at my “9-5” day job for the first time. 

Every year I like to reflect on the decision to make the jump and any learnings. 

Before leaving I had worked for 8years at Imperial Oil in a variety of jobs and although I for the most part enjoyed my job and appreciated the skills I was developing leaving has been incredible for both myself and more importantly my family. 

Here are the new learnings from this year…

4 New Learnings this Year

Illusion of Job Security 

When I left the day job I felt like I was increasing my family’s financial risk level significantly. Despite having planned it out with runway I and many others thought that my decision to leave was increasing my family’s financial risk. 

However, given the current economic outlook and specifically the outlook for the Oil and Gas industry I am certain my family’s financial security is far greater than if I had stayed at my day job. Layoffs are likely and job prospects within the industry are weak.  

Talking with many of my old co-workers the outlook is not great. Although many of my businesses have done well over the last 4 years others have not but on balance it has been a good 4 years financially. However, even if it was not the options and skills I have developed I believe will make me more employable/able to generate income then if I had continued on the career trajectory I was on. 

Many large employers are great at creating the illusions of job security but once you get outside of their intentionally created bubble the realization is that it was just an illusions and the perceived security is not as solid as you think

Kids Grow Up FAST! 

It is such a cliche to say they grow up fast but so often it is true. 

This Image was a large part of the reason why I wanted to pursue online entrepreneurship.

Having the ability to get to spend time with both my family and some of the active activities I like (skiing & mountain biking) is something that simply would not have been possible

At the time of me leaving my day Job this was the timeline to retirement vs my age and my oldest Childs age. 

Basically by the time I was 65 my oldest child would be 36 (my age) and the number of hours I would have spent with them would have been minimal. 

Being able to work around the weather and get to go on an adventure (mountain bike ride, hike or trip to the cottage) during the summer is something I am extremely grateful for. 

Embrace New Opportunities and Optionality 

One “tip” or “suggestion” suggested to me multiple times is to focus on a single business. Although I believe this is likely good advice most of the time. 

This year has been another reminder that launching new projects can increase my capabilities, allow me to tap new markets/diversify and learn new things. 

Launching MotionInvest has been both fun and gone very well.

My thinking over the last year has evolved to have me focus not on reducing the number of new projects but focus on making sure any new project is tested as efficiently as possible. Testing new projects is great if it can be done efficiently and that is the new focus. Quick inexpensive tests of business opportunities with an unfair advantage to its first customers and ideally have some overlapping benefit to existing projects is the focus.

Focusing on a single project is likely good advice but I have both had fun and some success working to launch other projects since leaving. 

My learning this year is to not fight this but work on getting better at building organizational capacity to launch these tests.

Invest in Compounding Improvements

Another evolution of my thought over the last year is to try and really focus my personal time on compounding improvements. 

As the window of time since leaving my day job grows my timeline really stretches out.

If my focus can be on any of these improvements that have a compounding benefit over time I know I am adding value…

1. Improved systems (like morning meetings, Trello kaizen board as a to-do list, OkR goal tracking all integrated into the Traction system etc.
2. Auditing systems to make sure they are working as intended and improving the SOPs are things that all have a long term payoff.
3. Most importantly investing in getting the best people on the team possible whether formally employed or strategic partnerships

Hustling for the next deal was something I had done for years and still do but making sure I am more focused on implementing improvements that will pay back over years and years as I extend out my time horizon is key.

Summary

Tracking my monthly income numbers was something that gave me a lot of focus while I was working to leave my day job.

Reflecting now on why I started down this journey is a very rewarding experience while also helping to shape some of my new learnings.

My hope with this post and serious is it provides a framework for others looking to make the job for them to know it is possible and ideally shortcut the long process I took.

Other Posts in this Series:

I Quit My Day Job – https://websiteincome.com/quit-my-job/

1 Year – https://websiteincome.com/1-year-quit-anniversary-what-has-changed/

It definitely isn’t business as usual these days. But these are the times that truly test you as a business owner. After all, many of the people on our list started these businesses for that very reason – to have control over their own direction. So while some of these entrepreneurs have seen signs of challenge, they all stay motivated and show a willingness to adapt. There are opportunities out there, you just need to find them. 

#1 Takeaway – Follow the Trends – Due to situations outside of our control, things have changed an awful lot in the past months. However, with changing circumstances come changing consumer demands. Our #1 takeaway is to stay on top of these market trends, and identify where the new opportunities lie. 

• Use Your Gut – Sometimes the situation is so unprecedented that you aren’t really sure how to proceed. If there isn’t a significant wealth of knowledge to draw on, sometimes you just have to go with what you think will succeed. Many entrepreneurs on our list decided to chase niches that they thought would be successful. Things like online learning, home workouts, home shopping, and more. That being said, even in a new situation, sometimes you can find the best knowledge by looking at your peers…
• Monitor Other Success Stories – You can see just by these income reports that people are more than willing to share their success! Many entrepreneurs on our list have pointed to the relative booms in areas such as dropshipping, online learning, and many other online niches. The information is out there, and people want to share it. Learn from the entrepreneurs on our list who have weathered this storm, and see how you can capitalize on this yourself!  
• Signup for TheHustle email list – a great summary of trends impacting entrepreneurship.

Quick April Update on my End:

• 5 Posts at AuthorityWebsiteIncome.com (one of my biggest months)
  • Highlight – Amazon Affiliate Earnings – I stayed up most of the night when this was announced and built a tool to be able to calculate how the earnings of Amazon Affiliate sites will change as a result of the reduction in commissions announced by Amazon. This was the most visited article on the site and received more engagement then I have had on almost any other post. It is unfortunate for us Amazon Affiliates but definitely not unusual in the world.
  • 16 best online business models MONSTER post was also created.
• Launched EssentialGoods.org to try and use our talents to address a COVID-19 related problem.
  • Overall it has been a failure… although it works and gained some traction/marketing the result is that the problem it is solving is simply not enough of a pain point for even the incredibly low price point (which was only there to try and break-even).
• MotionInvest had a big disruption the week Amazon made their announcement but is back on track and the demand for quality smaller money making websites is as strong as ever.
• ContentRefined – With the business manager Maddie heading off on Mat leave we had to do a lot of work to make sure our systems were tight
• New SAAS Project for Helping with Money Sites- Underway and I will be sharing more details shortly
• Free Amazon Affiliate Requirements and Disclosure Plugin – Received a 5* review

My Reason for This Round Up:

When I started my online entrepreneurship journey I took a lot of inspiration from others that were sharing everything they did online. Seeing that people like me were making REAL money and that the opportunity to replace my day job was possible. 

It has been almost 4 years since I left my day job – https://websiteincome.com/quit-my-job/

The more transparent the report the more I appreciated and was motivated by it. 

Over the years I have tried to be as transparent as possible sharing along the way my goals, business successes/failures and the ultimate results(profits). 

After years of sharing monthly income posts I decided that it made sense to stop these… a decision I actually regret as I wish I had found a way to keep sharing some of what I was doing. 

My reason for stopping was my online world and “real” worlds became more connected and it was becoming very odd to share these numbers.  

Looking at many of the people that originally had an income round up posts they have also stopped. Namely the most famous in the space Pat Flynn no longer does income round ups. 

In this post I will cover…

1. List of inspiring income report posts and how they earned their profits
2. Recognize motivating people showing not just telling people the results they are achieving
3. Learn from others – What the key learning is from the people

Last Month Profit – $10,486.91

Name – Ron Stefanski

Website – onehourprofessor.com

Business Model – Authority Affiliate Site      

Income Report – https://www.onehourprofessor.com/april-2020-monthly-income-report/

Key Lesson(s):

• Ron had a tough month in April. However, he did anticipate it after seeing the trends in ad rates and traffic. 
• However, Ron had a strong month on YouTube, and was happy with that. He had strong growth in revenue and views.  
• Ron knows there are tough times but he is hopeful. He has development plans with several websites, wants to continue to produce content with great writers, and wants to continue building content for YouTube. 

Checkout the video I did with Ron and be sure to read his gripping story here!

Last Month Profit – $4,552

Name – Lidiya

Website – letsreachsuccess.com

Business Model – Blogging

Income Report – https://letsreachsuccess.com/working-from-home-income-report/

Key Lesson(s):

• Although it continues to be unpredictable due to Covid, Lidiya is happy with the way things are going with her blog. 
• Her email list continues to grow, and she is happy with how many people actually respond with and engage her emails. 
• She continues to offer courses and coaching on succeeding through blogging, and has had more people reach out to her about this. 

Last Month Profit – no update this month

Name – Spencer Haws

Website – NichePursuits.com

Business Model – Authority Affiliate Site

Income Report – https://www.nichepursuits.com/get-ready-niche-site-project-4/

Key Lesson(s):

• No income report published this month.

Last Month Profit – $8,738.29

Name – Johnny FD

Website – johnnyfd.com

Business Model – Mixed – Dropshipping & Investing

Income Report – https://www.johnnyfd.com/2020/05/income-and-expenses-during-lockdown.html

Key Lesson(s):

• Johnny is still in Sri Lanka. He has more freedom now that the lockdown is lifted. 
• Johnny is happy with where he is at, and actually found he is quite productive living alone in Sri Lanka. 
• He is lucky that during this time, e-commerce stores are thriving. Two of Johnny’s stores saw a lot of success in April. 
• Aside from dropshipping, many of Johnny’s other businesses have taken a big hit. Specifically, Amazon affiliates are no longer making the same percentage of sales, which is why he wants to shift away from that. 

Last Month Profit – $37,103

Name – Jon Dykstra

Website – fatstacksblog.com

Business Model – Authority Website (display ads)

Income Report – https://fatstacksblog.com/income-report-for-april-2020/

Key Lesson(s):

• Solid earnings from all niche sites in April. 
• Jon continues to invest heavily in content. Specifically in writing product reviews and creating podcast content. 
• Jon knows that it is a turbulent time, and is investing heavily in areas where he is seeing returns. He understands that some of his online businesses will be more successful than others. 

Ryan Robinson

Last Month Profit – $21,262.60

Name – Ryan Robinson

Website – ryrob.com

Business Model – Authority Website (affiliate earnings)

Income Report – https://www.ryrob.com/blog-income-report-april-2020/

Key Lesson(s):

• With all the changes around the world, Ryan has spent a lot more time thinking of how he can support people, such as through his Blog Support Scholarship. 
• Ryan has also stayed busy creating free resources for readers. 
• Ryan increased his blog income in April, and traffic increased a sizable amount too. 
• It was a successful month, as blog income rose thanks to affiliate commissions and enrollments in his comprehensive blogging course. 

Create and Go

Last Month Profit – $203,457.16 (Quarterly Revenue)

Name – Alex & Lauren

Website – createandgo.com

Business Model – Affiliate Blog & Online Course

Income Report – https://createandgo.com/blog-income-report/

Key Lesson(s):

• Alex and Lauren do not publish expense figures, only revenue. 
• They continue to focus on fresh content in their Pinterest, in order to stay on top of the algorithm. 
• They updated their Pinterest course to reflect these changes. 
• Much of Alex & Lauren’s income comes from selling digital products and services, such as eBooks and online courses. 

Yeys

Last Month Profit – Negative $721

Name – Anne

Website – www.yeys.com

Business Model – Web Publishing Blog

Income Report – https://yeys.com/april-2020-traffic-revenue-report/

Key Lesson(s): 

• Despite the negative numbers (still a new blog), this was the best month to date! With growing traffic, growing revenue, and the best bottom line yet. 
• Anne continues to work with editors and freelancers to create content to serve different niches. 
• Saw an overall 42% increase in traffic in April! 
• Although revenue went up, it is not going up at the same rate. CPM and RPM rates were declining. Luckily, because traffic increased so much, Anne was able to still grow revenue. 

Honourable Mentions:

Although they don’t do exactly income reports, there are a few reports that are worth mentioning and when they publish new reports I will be sure to include.

Am I missing any I should include? Please drop a message in the comment section below with anyone I should include next month!

We all know that it isn’t business as usual these days. In February, many businesses were not as affected, but were starting to see things take shape. This next while will surely test as business owners, as it will test everyone else.