Joney Talks!

In today’s episode, we will speak to my friend Marc Andre from VitalDollar.com.

Marc started a website design blog in 2007 as a side hustle and left a job he hated in 2008. Pretty fast, right? He has since been running several successful blogs over the years and has sold all of them for over 1,3 million dollars (full story here). He now mainly runs the Vital Dollar, his blog on managing money, saving money, and money-making side activities.

Marc will share his story on how he managed to leave his job so fast and how he has been able to launch several other blogs since then (yes, I ask him about his secret recipes for success! 😉). We will also discuss what key aspects to look after if you are thinking of launching your own successful side hustle whether in the form of content creating or in the form “brick and mortar” type of activity.

We are all currently going through strange times and hearing about successful business stories might not be what you want to hear about these days, this is totally understandable. If that is you, then skip this episode and come back to it later. I certainly do not want to be insensitive to the situation but I also think that some of you may want to start dabbling into money-making side activities whether today or at a later stage.

Listen here

…or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This episode is for you if you are looking at starting a successful side business whether in the form of content creation or a physical brick and mortar type of activity.

Key Takeaways:

• Online activities like running a Youtube channel, an online community involving membership, a podcast, or blogging can bring significant money in the long-run. Nevertheless, due to changes in third-party platforms you use, things can become stressful. Think of Youtube or Instagram algorithms changes, payment platform T&Cs and the need to upgrade, adapt to these changes.
• Marc’s “secret recipe” to success? High traffic to your website which can lead to several streams of income: Ads, affiliate marketing, and as well specific niche products (e.g.the digital products for the photography blog). Give free versions (“freebies”) of your product/info to your audience to get them familiar with what you are proposing and they will eventually upgrade later to a paid version and/or sign up to your e-mail list.
• Whatever activity: Cut your time down to essentials, scale back on the number of hours you spend on your activities. Marc managed to cut his time spent on the blog in half.
• If you plan to start a content creating activity. Be patient with the income, it will not come right away. If you need/want to make money faster you are better off freelancing or offering services (dog walking, improving CVs,…). Whatever you do try to find something you enjoy, you do not want to come back from work and start working on something you are not passionate about.
• If you start a content-based business: Focus on a niche to stand out and build several revenue streams earlier on (Marc missed out on some income-generating opportunities).

Who is Marc?

Marc runs the personal finance blog VitalDollar.com, where he writes about managing money, saving money, and making money. He’s been self-employed as a full-time blogger since 2008 and he likes to find ways to incorporate his hobbies (including web design and photography) into his work. Marc’s story of turning a photography hobby into more than $1 million has even been featured on Forbes. You can get in touch with Marc through his contact page or learn more about Marc’s approach to building successful blogs in his course Blog Launch Breakthrough.

RESOURCES 

• Website: Vital Dollar
• Twitter: @vital_dollar
• Facebook: @vitaldollar.com
• Pinterest: @vitaldollar
• Book recommendation: The Hole in Our Gospel
• Best purchase under 100 USD: Google Drive

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means I may make a small commission (at no cost to you) if you make a purchase. This will help to support Joney Talks!