My 4 Hour Workweek

Happy New Year! Hopefully you had a pleasant holiday season.  December was a relaxing month for me, as it usually is with the holidays.  Aside from spending a lot of time with family, I spent a few days in Las Vegas, and it was nice to escape the frigid Chicago weather (even though my wallet was a bit emptier on the way home).  One thing I didn’t do in December was discuss my 2011 goals, as just about every other blogger has done.  It’ll probably come later this month once I’ve had the chance to really give it some thought.

This month wasn’t nearly as good as last month in terms of earnings, but I still feel good about it, knowing that the money was earned from very little work on my part.  Let’s have a look, shall we?

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About a week ago, I received an e-mail about the new Instant Article Wizard 3, which is currently in beta testing phase.  It piqued my interest when I realized that I could try it out from now until it’s released (supposedly mid-January) for free, without having to input any financial information (credit card, etc.).

I decided to jump on the opportunity, mainly because this software is made by the same guy who created The Best Spinner (which I currently own, use, and love).  Here’s what I found.

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If you’re currently in the niche site “game,” you know that creating one or two sites probably won’t be enough for you to reach your financial goals, when it comes to your online passive income.  Throughout your journey, you hope to hit that “home run” site that earns you thousands each month – it’s certainly possible to do, and many have done it.

When we’re building niche sites of the micro variety, however, quantity is an important factor. If you can build a site that earns $50/month fairly easily, basic math will tell you that 100 of those sites will earn you $5,000/month.  Getting from your first site to your 100th site is no small task, and it’s very likely that you’ll need some help along the way.

With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to explore what it takes to outsource nearly every aspect of niche site creation.  Although you may not outsource everything (and I’ll explain why I don’t), I think this guide will give you more than enough information to help you take that step toward freeing up more of your time so you can focus on what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing.

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Next week kicks off “newbie niche site month” – a month where I’m going to help those who are new to creating niche sites in a way that no one has ever helped someone before (at least, not for free).

There is a TON of information out there about niche research, keyword research, setting up a WordPress blog, monetizing it, etc.  People happily give away this information, especially when they can insert an affiliate link in every other sentence.  There’s nothing wrong with that (everyone, even the most respected bloggers, does it).

The one thing people almost never share are the results of that research – specific keywords and domain names that are available.  What I’ve found (just based on questions in e-mails that I’ve received) is that people have no problem learning the entire process and gathering all the necessary resources.  What people do have a problem with is that first step – finding a domain to build a site with, based on solid, fundamental keyword research.  And that’s going to be my gift to you this holiday season.

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When I first explained my Amazon niche site challenge and followed it up with an earnings update in my November income report, many of you wanted to know more about exactly what I do to monetize these sites (besides using Amazon) and why earnings may have varied between sites.

I’m still not going to reveal the actual URLs of the sites, but I will go into a lot more detail about the general niches I’m targeting and provide a lot of other information that I think you will find helpful and/or interesting.  If you don’t already know about my Amazon niche site challenge, I suggest you read the introduction first.

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The vast majority of you are extremely friendly and supportive, and it’s something I am infinitely thankful for.  Occasionally, however, someone will criticize me, and sometimes it’ll be harsh.  I received such a comment recently, on my November income report blog post.

Instead of becoming defensive or feeling offended, I welcome this criticism.  In fact, while others may reply to such a comment and quietly bury it, I want to bring it to your attention and reply to it publicly, out in the open.

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I love challenges.  If you’ve been reading here for awhile, you’re well aware of it.  If I had to define my love for challenges as a strength or a weakness, I’m not sure I’d know which one to choose, because I think it can be both at times.  However, I’ve done enough personal challenges on this blog – it’s time to put one on YOU.

If you’re not a fan of writing, this contest may not seem like it’s for you (but it really is, because it’s going to force you to write).  The really cool thing about this challenge/contest is that even if you don’t win, you still win.  Don’t worry, I’ll explain…

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I’m really sad to see November come to an end, but hopefully December and the following months will be even better.  I had a lot going on in November – I relaunched my blog, started a new passive income challenge,  and developed a simple tool to help myself and others keep track of a very powerful backlinking strategy (thanks to everyone for all of your overwhelmingly positive feedback so far!).

Anyway, it’s time to get down to business and see how November’s passive income turned out.  As I mentioned in a prior post, this was my best month yet!

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