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williamjharwick · 7 years

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My September 2017 Monthly Income Report

Welcome to my September 2017 Monthly Income Report!

We had a lot of firsts this month, and I’m excited to share them with you today. Before I go on, if you’re looking for the archive of income reports dating back to October 2008, please visit the income report page here.

As always, I’m excited to share not only my income sources and total income generated from this past month, but also the lessons learned at the same time. I’m pushing hard through the rest of the year, but I’m having a ton of fun at the same time.

Here’s what happened in September.

Income Summary

Last month: $140,866.38

This month: $220,158.54

Last 12 months: $2,057,647.70

Expenses Summary

Last month: $63,705.86

This month: $57,061.83

Last 12 months: $632,984.51

Net Profit Summary

Last month: $77,160.52

This month: $163,096.71

Last 12 months: $1,424,663.19

For the complete breakdown of income and expenses, visit the full report here »

Lessons Learned in September

September was definitely an experience for me. From my trip to Europe to my first podcasting workshop, to massive changes in the approach for content on SPI next year—there were a ton of lessons learned, and lots of exciting moments, for sure.

The biggest thing I learned, however, was while I was in Lisbon self-filming my vlog related material.

I used a Sony RX-100 Mark V to record, and I had it mounted on a small tripod with flexible legs that could bend and wrap around things. It wasn’t a huge thing to carry with me, but it was definitely noticeable—especially if I was filming myself in selfie mode and talking to it . . . which was totally awkward.

Here I am, in Europe, holding this “thing” in front of me and speaking to it—I almost didn’t go through with it because I was worried about what people would think of me—but then I realized: why would they think of me in a way that matters anyway?

I’m in another country, so I’m likely to never ever see these people again, and more than that, do I really think I’m that important that someone would care so much about what I’m doing while recording myself that it would bother them?

Over the course of the four days I spent in Lisbon, I became more and more comfortable with the idea of talking on the camera while in public. On the final day, at the event, it was almost a natural thing to do, especially while at the DNX Conference when I was able to capture moments with other attendees and speakers.

There’s nothing to worry about, and although when I pull out my camera, or even my phone and I still have those reservations about speaking at the device while in public, I realized that there’s nothing to worry about, because no one cares.

Keep that in mind as you begin to create behind the scenes content of your own, perhaps small snippets of your day that you share on Instagram or Snapchat, or Facebook or maybe in a more drawn-out video. Whatever it is, your audience will appreciate getting an insider look at something you’re up to, and you’ll be able to build an even stronger relationship with them as a result, and become more confident at the same time.

Thanks again for following my journey, and I look forward to what happens over the course of the next thirty-one days!

My September 2017 Monthly Income Report shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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SPI 288: Interview with Bec and Joe from The 4 Blades

This is a fun one! I’m sitting down with Bec and Joe Winston, the brains behind The 4 Blades, a brand in a niche that I never knew existed. What is that niche? It’s a kitchen appliance called the Thermomix. You’ve probably never heard of Thermomixes, but Bec and Joe have built a vibrant digital publication, podcast, and community around them.

Bec and Joe’s brand is an incredible success story, and it just goes to show what you can accomplish when you focus on what you’re passionate about. They have a successful brand because of their amazing personalities and perseverance—all in a realm I never even knew about. They are truly living the lifestyle they want, and it’s all because of the action they’ve taken and the value they provide. Hopefully you’ll all be motivated and inspired after hearing this episode. Enjoy!

And don’t forget to check out my new Build Your Own Brand Challenge-Course, launching on October 16. It’s a free, five-day challenge and course that will help you go from no website to a branded website so that you can start making a mark in the online world. Go to SmartPassiveIncome.com/byob to learn more! If you register for the challenge by midnight Pacific on Monday, October 23, 2017, you get special access to a webinar that will teach you even more tips and tricks for launching your brand.

(If you’re reading this in the future, don’t worry; the challenge will stay open as evergreen content, even after it ends on October 21, 2017.)

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

Leave a note in the comment section below.

Ask a question over on AskPat.com.

Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

To help out the show:

Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

Subscribe on iTunes or download our mobile app.

Special thanks to Bec and Joe for joining me this week. Until next time!

Download the Transcript

Read through the whole episode, from start to finish.

Download the MP3 Audio File

Listen to the episode however you like with the audio file.

You’ll Learn

The story of how Bec and Joe stumbled on the Thermomix, and what that is.

How Bec and Joe developed a digital magazine for their brand.

How podcasting made a huge difference for The 4 Blades.

Why The 4 Blades’ paid product is digital publishing.

How The 4 Blades community gets involved with each issue.

How Bec and Joe use challenges to involve their community.

What challenges Bec and Joe have had.

Why Bec and Joe decided to stop their podcast at Episode 150.

How Bec uses Facebook Live to interact with The 4 Blades community

Top pieces of advice from Bec and Joe, and more!

Resources

Thermomix

How to Start a Podcast: Pat’s Complete Step-By-Step Podcasting Tutorial

The Road to Loving My Thermomix

Jeff Walker’s The Launch Workshop

Simple Green Smoothie’s Simple 7

Edgar

MAZ

Joomag

Xamarin

AppMatch

Build Your Own Brand

SPI 288: Interview with Bec and Joe from The 4 Blades shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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Build Your Own Brand 5-Day Challenge Begins Today!

Today, I’m excited to announce that my new online course, Build Your Own Brand (BYOB), is now permanently open for enrollment. I created the course to help people who have no online branding develop a website and online brand that they can be proud of—all within five days.

And the best part: it’s 100 percent free to join!

Click here now to begin the 5-Day BYOB Challenge!

I’ve been helping people make their mark online since 2009 when I started teaching this stuff, primarily through blog posts and a popular YouTube video about starting a blog. That information was helpful, but it wasn’t the best and most convenient experience to learn by, not to mention it was nearly impossible to keep things all in one place and up-to-date.

That’s why I created BYOB, to give you the easiest way to get the information you need to build a website all in one place, which also makes it easy for me personally to keep things up-to-date for you.

This course is for you if you’re just starting out, you have no website at all, and you’re not quite sure what you’re doing. You know you need to launch a website, you want to make sure it’s done right, and you also want someone to hold your hand step-by-step along the way.

This course is also unique because it’s built as a five-day challenge.

You’ll see five modules (one for each day), and every day you’ll go through the lessons and follow the instructions. Each day will build on the next, and after the five days are over, if you stick with the plan, you’ll have a great looking website you can be proud of, and a solid understanding of your brand and purpose, which are the foundational pieces you need to have in order to build your audience, earn trust, and potentially launch your online business.

Why Is There a Challenge Component?

Two reasons:

Motivation

Planning

Structuring content within a challenge motivates people to take massive action. I’ve run several challenges in the past (like my 72-hour 100 email challenge), and it’s incredible how framing content in a specific way and with an end goal in mind can drive people to finally get off their butts and take action.

Additionally, knowing how many days this is going to take gives you an understanding of just how much time you’ll be spending on this. Build a website—yes that’s a concrete goal, but when is it going to happen? How long will it take?

Framed within a challenge like this, I can tell you what those answers are:

You’re going to start as soon as you choose to begin, and after five days you will have this thing you’ve been aiming to accomplish for a very long time.

Why is This a Free Course?

I’ve actually been building an email list of thousands of people who have told me they’ve been looking forward to an upcoming paid course on building a blog and getting their website up and running.

Earlier in the year, I launched a premium course about business idea validation (Smart From Scratch), and another paid course teaching people to how launch and market their podcast (Power-Up Podcasting). Both have performed very well.

I thought it was the right time, and the right topic, to offer something of massive value for free. For those of you who have participated in one of my existing paid courses, this is the perfect next step.

If you have already validated your business idea, the next obvious step is to create a website to house your new business and begin to collect interest in the product or service you will offer.

If you have created a podcast, but have yet to build your own website, you should. And now you have a free resource to help you!

But even if you haven’t taken my existing courses, but just want to do something to get started and have no idea how, I’ve solved a problem for you too. It’s all here, it’s easy to follow, and it works! I wanted to make the course free in order to remove any financial hurdles that may prevent you from getting started. You will need to invest a little bit of money upfront anyway (for a domain name and hosting plan), so I don’t want to add any other expenses that may trip you up.

I earn an affiliate commission from some of the products I recommend (at no extra cost to you). But my main goal for this course is to show you how to do this right, allow you to experience small wins up front, and hopefully encourage you to learn more about how to scale and grow your brand afterward—whether that’s through all of the free and existing (and upcoming) content on SPI, or in a premium course that might make sense for you later.

More Free Stuff to Celebrate Build Your Own Brand

For this next week and the next week only (through Monday, October 23, 2017 ending at midnight Pacific time), if you sign up to take the BYOB challenge, a couple of things will happen:

You’ll get access to a free LIVE Website Launch Strategy Training that will take place on Wednesday, November 1 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. For an hour and a half, I’m going to give you my best strategies for launching a new website, so after you get the website up and running, you’ll have an understanding of how to make sure it gets in front of as many people as possible.

You will be automatically enrolled in that webinar, and a replay will be sent to you after, whether you can make the live call or not.

If you have been waiting to get your website up—if that’s been the one thing holding you back—don’t let that hold you back any longer. You’re seeing this challenge now for a reason, and I look forward to seeing you progress through it! Just click the link below to get started now:

Click this link to start the BYOB course and challenge!

Build Your Own Brand 5-Day Challenge Begins Today! shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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SPI 287: Should I Create a Personal Brand? Pros and Cons

Welcome to week two of Branding Month here on SPI! This week we’re talking about personal branding. One of the most common questions I get asked is, “Should I create a personal brand?” Today we’ll be exploring the pros and cons in depth.

What is a personal brand? Should you have one? In a sense, I think that everyone should have a personal brand. I’ll explain what I mean by that, but first it’s important to understand why you’re starting out and where you want to go. There are some questions you should ask yourself before you start, because there are definitely pros and cons to starting a personal brand. And there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to how you run your personal brand; you have to decide what works best for you and your business. In this episode, I’ll be breaking down an exercise from my book, Will It Fly?, that will help you understand what direction to go in. I’ll also explore the different definitions of personal brands, the roadblocks you might have, tips for success, and examples of different, successful personal brands. This episode is full of advice for helping you start you own personal brand journey. Listen carefully and enjoy!

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

Leave a note in the comment section below.

Ask a question over on AskPat.com.

Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

To help out the show:

Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

Subscribe on iTunes or download our mobile app.

Download the Transcript

Read through the whole episode, from start to finish.

Download the MP3 Audio File

Listen to the episode however you like with the audio file.

You’ll Learn

Why it’s critical to understand where your brand is heading.

The different definitions of personal branding and how JAY-Z sums it up.

Why we should all have a personal brand (and what I mean by that).

The question you should answer before you move forward with your personal brand.

The pros and cons of having a personal brand.

Why being personable and vulnerable helps your audience connect with you.

The weird math we do when it comes to negativity.

Personal branding success stories, and more!

Resources

ChrisDucker.com

Youpreneur.com

AmyPorterfield.com

RickMulready.com

ManvsDebt.com

NeilPatel.com

QuickSprout.com

WP WishList

Stu.me

Smart Passive Income Podcast Episode 285: Accidental Entrepreneurship and Design Commerce with Jeff Sheldon from Ugmonk.com

Ugmonk

MichaelHyatt.com

SethGodin.com

JillianMichaels.com

ChaleneJohnson.com

ShaunTFitness.com

TonyHortonLife.com

SPI 181: From Welfare to Nearly $1 Million with Kimra Luna

Sponsors

Be True Brand You by Kimra Luna

If you’re struggling to get your business off the ground, Kimra’s course, Be True Brand You, is for you. Kimra will teach you to brand yourself so you can’t be ignored and write the kind of copy that gets you noticed and gets you paid. And, you’ll learn how to scale your business so you can earn more while working less.

SPI 287: Should I Create a Personal Brand? Pros and Cons shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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Build Your Own Brand 5-Day Challenge Begins Next Week!

Today, I’m excited to announce the biggest challenge ever presented to the readers of SmartPassiveIncome.com.

Drum roll, please. Now introducing a challenge for the ages:

The 5-Day Build Your Own Brand (BYOB) Challenge!

Before I get into the details of the Build Your Own Brand Challenge, first, a little history. Back in 2009, I published one of my very first YouTube videos, which was called How to Build a Blog in Less Than 4 Minutes and Write Your First Blog Post. As of today, this video has been viewed nearly 250,000 times, and has provided a quick way for first-time bloggers and aspiring online business owners to get a website up and running, and just get the ball rolling on their online presence.

Getting that ball rolling is sometimes the most difficult step. That’s why I created that video—to help people break through that initial obstacle. The next, most difficult challenge is after you’ve had an idea and you’re ready to build upon your website and establish your brand online.

Many things have changed since I created that video in 2009. Over time, I’ve realized that in order to succeed with your website, a few more essential things need to be checked off the list for establishing your brand and making your mark on the internet. This is why I wanted to present this brand new challenge to you today.

What To Expect with the Build Your Own Brand (BYOB) Challenge

The BYOB Challenge will be a 5-day challenge structured like a course on the Teachable platform. For each day of the challenge, you’ll have a set of modules to complete, and within each module you’ll have a set of lessons and short videos that walk you through the process of crafting a high-quality, well-designed personal brand for your website.

This challenge is a much more robust, detail-oriented expansion of my 2009 video, but with the same end goal in mind: To help you build an amazing branded website from scratch. At the end of the 5 days, you’ll have a website with a clear brand, ready for you to begin creating content, build your audience, and eventually sell a product.

Unlike other challenges I’ve run in the past, this is not a reader challenge by way of a blog post. For this challenge, I want to do something different because, as you know, I like to challenge myself and experiment with new things to see if there are better strategies or approaches I can take along the way.

This won’t be like the 72-Hour List Building Challenge at 100Emails.com, where you are challenged to build your email list from 0 to 100 subscribers in 72 hours. (By the way, you can still enter the 72-Hour List Building Challenge if you need help kickstarting your email list, since the challenge is evergreen!)

Also, this challenge doesn’t tell you how to launch a course, make money from your website, or build your audience—although that may naturally come later as a result of the initial work you do. But at the end of the challenge I will give you resources you can use to keep going and move to the next steps.

Here are a few things you can expect in the BYOB Challenge:

It is built on Teachable, like a course, but structured as a challenge. Teachable is super user-friendly and easy to navigate.

It is 100 percent free to join the challenge. You can build your brand from the ground up . . . for free!

There will be add-on options for purchase. If you’d like a few bonus items to help you on your way toward building your brand, you’ll have options. But they are totally optional!

You are free to choose any hosting company and any email service provider that you’re most comfortable with. I will share my top recommendations based on my experience, but those are just suggestions.

The 5 days will be broken down like this:

Day 1 of the challenge will be about discovering what your brand is really about. You will use that time to come up with a clear mission and name for your brand.

Day 2 will include procuring your domain name and building your website.

Day 3 will be about making sure your website design and theme look professional and in line with your brand.

At this stage, your website branding doesn’t have to be perfect or too fancy, but it’s going to be great enough to instill confidence that your website and design is your home—to move forward with, produce content, and grow your brand.

Day 4 will be about setting up your website plugins and pages.

Plugins allow you to customize your website even further. There are a lot of amazing plugins, but I’ll share the minimal amount of plugins that you’ll need to build a successful brand. The last thing I want to do, in such a short period of time, is overwhelm you. You can always, at a later time, go back and add more plugins that make sense for your website goals.

In addition to that, I’m going to help you figure out what pages (About, Contact, etc.) you should start with.

Lastly, on Day 5 we’re going to focus on writing and publishing your content. And we’ll close it out with a plan for how to launch your new brand!

Sound like something you’d love? Sound like a challenge you’re ready for: To have your own branded website up and running in 5 days?

Sign up here to be the first notified when the challenge goes live!

At the end of this 5-day challenge, I want you to be proud of what you create; you can (and will) create something amazing and inspiring you can share with your community, your family, and your friends so you can start building your audience on a foundation you’re truly excited about.

People often tell me that they just need a good excuse to get started on the online business they want to create, or the website they want to build, or the brand they’ve been thinking about for years. That’s totally normal, and I understand!

But there are people out there waiting for you. They are waiting for you to create the thing you’ve always wanted to create. At 100 percent free to join, you no longer have an excuse! You can create the website and brand you’ve always wanted to.

That’s my challenge to you.

That’s why I created the Build Your Own Brand (BYOB) 5-Day Challenge. If you’re motivated by a challenge, and appreciate some guidance along the way from an expert who can walk you through the process toward a specific and meaningful outcome (building your brand!), you’re in the right place.

Are you ready?

Sign up here to join the waitlist for the Build Your Own Brand 5-Day Challenge that starts next week!

Build Your Own Brand 5-Day Challenge Begins Next Week! shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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When is the Best Time to Send an Email Marketing Campaign [Infographic]

When’s the best time to send your marketing emails? This study sought to find out. When is the Best Time to Send an Email Marketing Campaign [Infographic] originally posted at Social Media Today

When is the Best Time to Send an Email Marketing Campaign [Infographic] shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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Snap Inc.’s Sold 150,000 Pairs of Spectacles, Looking to Bring Snapchat to PCs

Snap Inc. has announced some new figures for Spectacles sales, and a new project to bring Snapchat to more devices. Snap Inc.’s Sold 150,000 Pairs of Spectacles, Looking to Bring Snapchat to PCs originally posted at Social Media Today

Snap Inc.’s Sold 150,000 Pairs of Spectacles, Looking to Bring Snapchat to PCs shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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The 7-Step Guide to Creating Irresistible YouTube Video Thumbnails

Here are some key tips on creating effective YouTube video thumbnails. The 7-Step Guide to Creating Irresistible YouTube Video Thumbnails originally posted at Social Media Today

The 7-Step Guide to Creating Irresistible YouTube Video Thumbnails shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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7 Tips for Using Emojis in Social Media Marketing

Here are some key tips on using emojis in your social media marketing campaigns. 7 Tips for Using Emojis in Social Media Marketing originally posted at Social Media Today

7 Tips for Using Emojis in Social Media Marketing shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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Top Influencers are Using Snapchat 33% Less, According to New Study [Infographic]

A new report has found some of the top social media influencers are using Snapchat 33% less this year, as Instagram usage increases. Top Influencers are Using Snapchat 33% Less, According to New Study [Infographic] originally posted at Social Media Today

Top Influencers are Using Snapchat 33% Less, According to New Study [Infographic] shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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LinkedIn Adds New ‘Talent Insights’ to Help Employers Improve Hiring and Recruitment Efforts

LinkedIn is launching a new tool to provide more data and insights to recruiters. LinkedIn Adds New ‘Talent Insights’ to Help Employers Improve Hiring and Recruitment Efforts originally posted at Social Media Today

LinkedIn Adds New ‘Talent Insights’ to Help Employers Improve Hiring and Recruitment Efforts shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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20 Effective Ways to Stop Boring Your Readers [Infographic]

This infographic provides some key tips on how to keep your blog content engaging. 20 Effective Ways to Stop Boring Your Readers [Infographic] originally posted at Social Media Today

20 Effective Ways to Stop Boring Your Readers [Infographic] shared from David Homer’s Blog

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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SPI 286: How to Build a Brand that Stands Out from the Crowd

Welcome to October, and welcome to Branding Month here on SPI! This month is all about building your brand, establishing your stake in the ground, and most importantly, building something that lasts. Today, I’m talking about the best actions you can take toward building a brand that stands out from the crowd.

Starting an online business can be extremely daunting, and no wonder: There’s a lot of chatter out there and when you want to stand out from the crowd . . . well, there’s a lot of crowd to stand out from. In this episode I’m breaking down what I call “The Five Cs” for building a brand that’s truly distinct. I’ll be talking about how you can start from the ground up, how to understand your audience better so that you can better serve them, and some ways that you can follow through and build a great community. When it all comes together, you do more than just build a brand. You build an experience. This episode is jam-packed with tips and tricks; let’s start building!

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

Leave a note in the comment section below.

Ask a question over on AskPat.com.

Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

To help out the show:

Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

Subscribe on iTunes or download our mobile app.

Download the Transcript

Read through the whole episode, from start to finish.

Download the MP3 Audio File

Listen to the episode however you like with the audio file.

You’ll Learn

The Five Cs for building a brand that stands out from the crowd.

How to create a clear message that draws in the right audience for your mission.

How to speak your audience’s language.

My game-changing monthly method for understanding and better serving my audience.

Why consistency is key.

How to grow your community.

How to create a brand that’s an experience.

My top advice for getting your audience to take action.

Why it’s important to do work that makes you a little nervous, and more!

Resources

IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com

Ramit Sethi’s cable bill challenge

JadahSellner.com