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- From depressed and stressed to $150K in one year šŖ
From depressed and stressed to $150K in one year šŖ
Welcome to a fresh edition of eBiz Insider, my free newsletter packed with tips, insights and opportunities to build your online business.
Today...
Built a $5 Chrome Extension Without Knowing How To Code
Zero to Money-Making Website in 7 Months
His Match Making Business Earned $430K Last Year
Hyper-Niche Biz: $60,590 in 1 Month
From Depressed and āāStressed to $150K in 1 Year
Latest Momentos
Musicianās $2000/Month Affiliate Website
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Built a $5 Browser Extension Without Knowing How To Code
š From a recent post on Redditā¦
I have no coding knowledge but have constantly shipped different products since I was in college. All my ideas usually were not tech focused but focused more on operations, expertise and physical products or services.
Recentlyā¦ I decided to find a problem to solve and ship something even with my limited expertise.
I listed down all the problems I had and finally decided on one to work on.
Full disclosure, the first 3 failed with hardly any sales.
But with the 4th one, I just got my first sale!
It's a chrome extension that helps you find and navigate to your desired Chrome tab in one click.
The extension is priced at only $5 for lifetime access, so not a huge success story š
But it's still impressive, especially considering this person ā unclear if male or female ā doesn't know how to code.
So how did he/she build the extension? š¤
I used Gemini Advanced and Replit to make it.
Got all my instructions from Gemini and followed it to the T on Replit.
It was a bit tedious as I had to keep coming back for each change I wanted and uploading the new version to my Chrome to check how it looks.
By the time I was done I had made over 20 versions of my extension.
Gemini = Googleās AI, basically their version of ChatGPT.
Replit = a code editor that works in your browser.
Now for the twist in the story š
Redditors were quick to point out thatā¦
Chrome already has this feature built-in. Click the down arrow on the top right corner
So yeah, not much of a future for this project š¢
But that's besides the point.
Along the way, this person has learnedā¦
how to leverage AI
how to build Chrome extensions
persistence
what it's like to make a sale
That's a lot šŖ
And it makes his (or her) future projects way more likely to succeed.
How about trying something like this yourself?
Make a list of all the problems you have and then pick one to work on šÆ
Alternatively, here's a database of 33,000+ Chrome extensions thatā¦
takes the guesswork out of deciding what to build next. See which popular extensions get bad reviews so you can create improved versions.
Find an idea there and use AI to build a solution š¤
Or, if you have the budget, you could hire someone to build it for you, like Joe Davies didā¦
šĀ artificial intelligence | permalink
Zero to Money-Making Website in 7 Months
Today's email is brought to you by The Authority Site System (TASS).
I've now done in-depth reviews of 45+ popular affiliate marketing courses, and TASS ranks #1.
That ranking isn't just based on my own extensive experience with the course ā the 57 student reviews we've collected have the biggest say in the ranking š¤©
A recent reviewā¦
Iām roughly 7 months into the course (side hustle) and started earning affiliate commissions this month.
What I liked the most was the emphasis on niche selection and ruthlessly checking the numbers before starting the actual work.
Anotherā¦
Following The Authority Site System 3.0ās strategies, I built my website from the ground up. Remarkably, the site began generating revenue after just six months, and two years on, it continues to grow.
So it's by no means a way to get rich quick.
But if you follow the training and put in the work consistently, you're likely to have a website earning solid income within a year, with plenty of room to grow.
š Get started for as little as $132 (60% discount)
ā¹ļø full disclosure | sponsorship info
His Match Making Business Earned $430K Last Year
Behdad Jamshidi is the founder of CJAM Marketing, self-described as aā¦Ā
Match making service to find the right marketing agencies
They basically help companies find and hire marketing help. Companies use their services instead of writing up job posts, interviewing multiple candidates, etc.
š¬ In a recent interview, Behdad revealsā¦
I believe in slowly growing a profitable and sustainable business. From the first year through last year, I doubled revenue almost every year but I did it without taking a ton of risk.
Year 1 2019: $16,366
Year 2 2020: $ 84,232
Year 3 2021: $109,644
Year 4 2022: $280,006
Year 5 2023: $438,785
I've kept my costs low and built my business the old-school way: through relationships, community, and providing value. That was the focus for the first 3-4 years in my business, while I also worked my full-time job for stability. This allowed me the freedom to build slowlyā¦
Last year, we were at $430,000 in revenue, with a 60% profit margin.
Sounds like he's mainly grown the business via LinkedIn, with little focus on other channelsā¦
We don't have as much website traffic as I would like, and my email list has just about 340 people on it.
Check out Behdad's Linkedin (6000+ followers) and the content he posts there š
He writesā¦
People started reaching out to me because they saw me online adding value, which started my first level of growth.Ā
š But it was a tough roadā¦
if I knew how hard this business was to build in the beginning I might not have built it!
I had no idea that I would have to talk to, interview, and vet so many agency partners to build the network that I needed to find good fits for my customers.Ā
Also, I didn't realize how fast marketing trends shift and how I would need to keep sourcing new partner agencies as that happens.
Behdad has some reassuring words for anyone still working 9-to-5ā¦
There is a lot of value in working for a company ā you can build skill sets and knowledge that most entrepreneurs have to learn the hard way.Ā
So, if you are still working a traditional job, don't worry that you are behind in business ā you are learning things that will help you in your journey.
Behdad's network is obviously crucial for his business, and I suspect he started building that in his old job.
What experience or connections have you gained as an employee? š¤
How could you leverage those to start your own thing?
šĀ permalink
š Hyper-Niche Biz: $60,590 in 1 Month
From the archive, published July 2022ā¦
It has no employees ā just my wife and me.
Itās earned $60,590 so far this month.
The business is a simple job board for modern tech jobs in Japan. Companies pay a fee when they make a successful hire via the site.
The domain was only registered in March of 2019.
More remarkably, the target audience is tiny: English-speaking tech workers who want to live and work in Japan š¤Æ
Hereās what Eric attributes his success toā¦
choosing a business in my āzone of geniusā helped. Everyone knows a lot about a few things. For me, it was:
ā Living in Japan
ā Programming
ā Developer careers (worked as a dev + hiring manager for other devs)
And Japan Dev is at the intersection of all these.
If you were to draw up a venn diagram like Eric, might you find some ideas or opportunities at the intersection? š¤
šĀ permalink
From Depressed and āāStressed to $150K in 1 Year
š¬Ā A recent tweet from Nico Jeannenā¦
Wow, I just realized I made over $180,000 in the last 15 months with all my apps.
We've featured Nico in this newsletter beforeā¦
Launched an App 3 Months Ago, Sold it for $65,000 (Mar 2023)
His Unoriginal App: 13 Weeks to $2000/Month (Nov 2023)
Back in 2022, Nico was a marketer who didnāt really know how to code.Ā
Then he "bought a $20 course to learn Python on Udemy" and started sharing his journey of learning to code š
Now, in 2024, his Talknotes app is earning him $5000/month just a few months after launch.
He recently tweetedā¦
š Me last year:
- Only one year of savings
- Living in a cheap co-living in Bali
- Can't travel
- Depressed and stressed
- Can only afford $2 chicken + rice for every meal
š Me this year:
- $150k+ in revenues
- Travel whenever I want to
- Live in a nice apartment
- Eat good tasty and healthy food
š What changed:
I shipped 20 apps to learn the process. Most failed, but some took off. You only need to win once to snowball
He basically packed a ton of experience into a couple of years, picking up valuable new skills and learning how to build successful products.
It wasn't glamorous by any means, but the results speak for themselves.
And it all started with a $20 course, plus the willingness to go through it fully and apply the materials š
(Fun fact: most online courses only have a 5-15% completion rate. So if you complete that latest online course you signed up for, you're ahead of the pack.)
Sharing the journey has also been key for Nico, resulting in a following of 26K on X.
Amazing how far a person can come in a short time if they go all in š
Last thing: moving to Bali š®š© surely contributed to Nico's success.
Because when your cost of living is low, there's less pressure to earn big money right away, and you have more time to build new skills and experiment with different business models.
If moving is an option for you, Nomad List shows the best cities around the world to live and work remotely šļø
šĀ permalink
Latest Momentos
My latest batch of personal ramblings is here if you fancy a look š
From April 2ndā¦
An encounter with someone today that reminded me: often it's not the problem that's the problem, but your reaction to the problem. Poor guy was struggling with his English but his embarrassment and frustration became a bigger obstacle than the language.
š Musicianās $2000/Month Affiliate Website
From the archive, published February 2023ā¦
Brad Johnson launched his website Song Production Pros in June of 2021.
šø Itās mainly a review site for guitars, songwriting tools, home studio tools, etc.
Brad told me via emailā¦
I followed the system and achieved my first $1,000 month 12 months later and my first $2,000 month 17 months later. 2023 looks like it will be my best year yet. Iām seeing consistent growth and new business opportunities with my affiliate partnerships.
The site is monetized with affiliate offers and display ads. This post has both: The Best Acoustic Guitar Brands with Buyerās Guide
The timeline Brad speaks to above is pretty typical for a site like this: $1000/month after 12 months, and double that about 6 months later š¤
But thatās only if you can put in the work consistently, as Brad managed to doā¦
As a full-time dad to two toddlers, husband, and worker, staying consistent has been challenging. Even harder when the first year had very little growth. It was easy for me to want to compare myself to the āquickā successes of others.Ā
Still, I committed to staying as consistent as possible with writing content and building links as laid out in the course. I put everything else out of my mind and did those two things. Iām glad I did because my website has become more than a hope and dream and is now a legit business.
Btw, the āsystemā and ācourseā that Brad refers to is The Authority Site System by Authority Hacker. Itās the top-rated affiliate marketing course on eBiz Facts.
Read Bradās full review of it here š
šĀ affiliate marketing | permalink
Thanks to Fardeen Khan for helping me write and research today's newsletter.
Hasta la prĆ³xima, rock on with your legendary self šŖ
Niall Doherty ā Canillo, Andorra
eBiz Facts (follow on twitter)
P.S. Want to learn how to build and monetize a content website?
Then check out The Authority Site System by Authority Hacker.
Or read the 57 student reviews of the course here.
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