3 Assets You Can Build From Your Bedroom to Make $1,000/Month — If Not More
Start small and let compounding do its thing
If you’re reading this, I’m confident of two things:
- An extra $1,000 a month will change your life
- You’re looking for practical, proven steps — not fluffy BS
I can help you.
Since November 2020, I’ve averaged $1,000/month from assets I’ve built in my bedroom. These include blogs, an email list, and online courses.
18 months ago, making money online was a pipedream. I had no idea where to start. It seemed like some mystical beast I was trying to slay with a bucket and spade.
Now, I’m ready to quit my job. My plan is to make $5,000 a month in six months' time and work from anywhere in the world.
The key is to start small. Build assets and let their value compound over time.
Here’s how.
Asset #1: Blogs (Medium, Niche Websites & Ebooks)
If you like writing, look no further.
Follow these tips and join Medium’s Partner Program. If you’re eligible, the program lets you make money from your writing.
Articles you put out can make money over time. Most months, 50% of my earnings come from stories that are over six months old.
There are others ways to make money on Medium.
In August 2021, the platform set up its Referral Program. This means you get paid for signing up new members.
Zulie’s a great example of this.
Last July, she crossed 200 total referred members. This means she gets a “pretty-much-guaranteed ~$400 every single month”:
How has she done this?
It’s pretty simple.
At the end of every article she’s published since the launch of the program, she’s included this CTA:
I don’t include CTAs like this because I prefer to collect email addresses. (More on this later).
Still, 18 members have used my referred link. Medium displays your link automatically to non-members midway through your stories.
$38.52/month covers my phone and Netflix bills:
Away from Medium, there are other ways to make money from blogging.
Christopher is one of my favourite writers, and he makes over $5,000/month from niche websites.
His formula is pretty simple. He writes about specific topics that people are searching for and places ads on his websites.
The action steps are more complex.
The good news is you don’t need to buy a course. If you want to grow a money-making website, Christopher has published over 100 stories on how to do this.
And then there’s making money from ebooks. Two writers crushing it in this space are Niharikaa and Victoria.
Niharikaa has made over $4,500 from her Gumroad products.
She’s been able to do this through consistent publishing and the trust she’s built with her fans:
Meanwhile, people were asking Victoria SEO questions when she wrote about this topic.
She decided to write an ebook and launched it in April 2022.
The book had made over $1,500 to date.
DIFFICULTY: 3/5
EARNINGS POTENTIAL: $1,000s/month
TL; DR: It’s possible to make money from writing, but it’ll take time. Act like you don’t need the money and focus on the reader. What’s in it for them? If you can’t answer this, you’re writing a diary.
Asset #2: An Email List
With an email list, you have a direct channel to your fans.
You’re not at the mercy of algorithms.
You can float into inboxes.
I recommend ConvertKit to start building yours. It’s used by many popular creators, including Pat Flynn, and it’s easy to set up.
Here’s my approach.
Last year, I published an article about becoming a full-time writer. I linked to a document I’d put together. The doc was full of lessons I’d learned from studying the world’s best writers.
Eva kindly left me this note:
Her suggestion was simple.
Instead of giving access to a resource that I’d spent hours putting together, why not add an email lock?
In other words, rather than link to the Google Doc, I should link to a landing page. On this page, someone enters their email address to claim the document.
I created the landing page with ConvertKit in less than an hour. It’s driven over 30% of new subscribers.
I include a simple CTA at the end of my articles to drive traffic to these pages. I currently have seven landing pages for different Google docs:
After confirming their email, the doc gets sent.
This happens automatically:
Over the next two months, they’re sent another five emails. This also happens without me pressing send:
I’ve replicated this strategy for other Google docs.
I love giving them away. My most valuable is called Everything I Did to Quit My 9–5 Job & Transition Into Profitable, Sustainable Solopreneuring.
I currently have just over 400 people on my list. I email the list once every two weeks with either writing or money-making tips:
How has this made me money?
Freelance writing opportunities have popped up, just like this one:
I didn’t know she was a subscriber.
We jumped on the call, went through my proposal, and have worked together since. She said my newsletter was the reason she reached out.
This isn’t the only way to make money.
With ConvertKit’s Sponsor Network, it’s now even easier to get sponsors for your email list. The only snag is you’ll need at least 10,000 subscribers. Burk explains more.
Until then, an email list can be small and mighty.
DIFFICULTY: 4/5
EARNINGS POTENTIAL: $1,000s/month
TL; DR: Exceed expectations with your freebie. Keep it simple. Only email people when you’ve got something to stay.
Asset #3: Online Courses
Out of these three assets, online courses are the hardest to do well.
You’ll need to develop a specific skill and show this in action.
Here’s how I think about it:
Once you’ve built credibility, you should make an online course. You won’t get it right straight away. That I guarantee.
However, the opportunities that can arise will blow you away!
I’ve launched eight courses. Six are on Udemy, one is on Skillshare, and one is on Zero To Mastery.
The head of product at Zero To Mastery found my courses on Udemy. He said he was impressed by my teaching and wanted to collaborate.
After a recent update, this course is averaging $500/month.
The best part is this money is passive. All I have to do is respond to the odd question on Discord. This takes less than an hour a week.
You can think of it as “front-loaded labour”. You do all the work in the beginning and reap the rewards later.
Last week, an affiliate manager reached out. She too had found my courses on Udemy and wondered whether I want to partner with Semrush.
I use their products all the time so it’s a no-brainer for me!
I’ve signed up for their program and could earn up $200 for every new subscription sale.
Here are seven tips to help you make your first online course.
3.1. Choose Your Topic
Getting this right is 80% of the game.
What would you feel comfortable talking to a stranger about on a two-hour flight?
If you’re not sure, ask your friends and family. You may have a skill you don’t even recognise.
Here’s the thing. You don’t need to be an expert. You just need to be further ahead than your target course-taker.
If you’re only a little further along, this can be a strength. Those far ahead forget what it’s like to start from scratch.
Once you’ve got a few ideas, look around. Has your topic been taught before? I host my courses on Udemy and Skillshare, so this is where I look.
If your topic has been taught before, how can you do it better? Are there details they’ve missed?
In my case, most outsourcing courses didn’t have resources. They were also complicated. I simplified the process and created documents.
3.2. Keep It Simple
My tech consists of a laptop and a Blue Yeti mic.
That’s it.
If you’re going to invest in anything, make it a mic. Sound is king. Otherwise, a few well-placed lamps will do the trick.
As long as you’re providing value, people are forgiving.
Screencast-O-Matic is the software I use to record my videos. When it comes to editing, I use Free Movie Maker which came with my laptop.
Let me repeat: fancy isn’t necessary.
3.3. Mess up Often & Quickly
I mess up a lot.
This is normal. I’ve spoken to experienced course creators who mess up all the time.
Don’t believe me? Watch Ali Abdaal’s editing course on Skillshare: Editing with Final Cut Pro X — From Beginner to YouTuber.
Start at video eight.
You’ll see.
3.4. Imagine You’re Having a Conversation With a Friend
I treat recording like Zoom calls.
It’s a conversation where I’m the only one speaking. This is okay. I’m speaking with a friend.
It sounds silly, but it’s surprisingly effective.
3.5. Record in Private
Take the pressure off as much as you can.
You don’t want to increase it by recording somewhere public. Where someone could barge in mid-sentence.
Talking to yourself will feel strange enough without the fear of looking weird.
Record in private where you won’t be disturbed.
3.6. Zero Time Pressure
Give yourself a full morning/afternoon to record videos.
Don’t do it in small bites. 20–30 minutes might not be long enough for a video, even if it’s five minutes long.
For your first course, you’ll feel nervous. Don’t rush the process. Give yourself time.
Time pressure works in exams — not video-recording.
3.7. Accept It Won’t Be Great
No one gets it perfect the first time.
The recording of my first course was a shambles. It was bloated and anemic. I had to redo the whole thing.
Produce, improve, repeat.
DIFFICULTY: 5/5
EARNINGS POTENTIAL: $1,000s/month
TL; DR: You need to show you can do the thing you want to teach. You also need a launch plan. Once you’ve got these things, making a lucrative online course is possible.
Takeaways
We’ve only scratched the surface.
There are so many opportunities out there.
The underlying theme is to make your content about other people. How can you help them? What’s in it for your readers?
Answer this question and you’re golden.
It also helps if your assets feed into one another.
I like to think of this like a flywheel. Get the thing turning and you’ll build trust. All of your assets will benefit.
People who like your writing may join your email list. People who join your email list may take one of your courses. These people are more likely to keep enjoying your content…
Go get it!
Want to ditch the 9–5? Get my free 19-page guide: Everything I Did to Quit My 9–5 Job & Transition Into Profitable, Sustainable Solopreneuring :)