A little over 3 years ago, I moved away from Scranton, PA. It was the right decision, of-course. I got married and my wife and I got a place closer to where she worked. After living there for over a decade (between college and post-graduate life), I can say I was ready.
But there is something I still miss from those days: teaching inside of a classroom.
(more…)As I sit here writing this, I can’t believe I’ve completed 2 full years of self employment. I think another shocking revelation is I’m actually doing pretty well. This has been a strong growth year for me, and I’ve got a lot more clarity in what I’m doing, and what I need to do.
(more…)Affiliate programs can be one of the best ways to drive traffic and sales to your products. Mobilized affiliates can become your best advocates. In recent months I’ve been working to improve my own affiliate program to make sure my affiliates are energized about Creator Courses as well as informed about what’s going on. Here are 5 ways I’m working to improve my affiliate program.
I started my first business in high school, making websites for anyone who’d give me a shot. It was a great way to make money that I carried through college, grad school, and my adult life. I even did it full time a little after college, but lack of benefits and the need to learn more forced me to find a full time job. For pretty much that entire time, the stakes were different – and not very high. I didn’t have anyone except myself to support and I didn’t require too much.
That changed when I got married and had a daughter. I thought my chances at full time self-employment were dramatically lower as a result. However, today marks the anniversary of me leaving my full time job to pursue my side business full-time. I’d like to reflect on the first year.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working to update my course, An Introduction to Gutenberg, to cover new features and add more sections that really give you a bang for your buck. The course has been very popular and I’m excited to see it do so well! And today, it’s getting even better thanks to Bluehost.
The first time I learned how to burn a CD was mind-blowing. It was 1999 and YouTube didn’t exist. Most of the web was brochure sites with marquees and hit counters, so there wasn’t a great place for learning how to do
literally anything. Instead, my cousin came over and showed me. He brought a blank CD, opened software on my computer, dragged the songs I wanted into this window and clicked, “Burn.” A few minutes later, BOOM. I had my very own mix CD. What jumped out at me the most was how easy it was when someone was there to show me the way. I felt
accomplished. That experience did 2 things for me. It allowed me to have a very successful mix CD business in high school, and it made me realized I just needed to try things in order to learn them. I felt
empoweredby the fact that someone showed me the way.
I want you to feel empowered too.That’s why I
started on Patreon.
. Because of that, I put out a bunch of free content. My weekly podcast, YouTube videos, blog posts, and eBooks to name a few. I’d love to do a lot more of that. I’d actually love to focus on the full time! I’m lucky enough to work for myself. I support my family with sponsorships, online courses, and freelance work. With your support, I can switch focus away from freelance work, to creating more great content. I want to make better resource for learners and educators, spend more time researching interesting topics, and tell more great stories.
Great question!
Patreonallows people like you to support content creators like me by making monthly pledges, or donations. Usually, there will be multiple pledge levels, and rewards for each level. You can set spending limits and stop at any time. Basically, you get to empower and support content creators directly.
I have a confession. Asking for donations has never come easy for me. But I’m also really passionate about teaching, and Patreon is a great way to get the freedom to do that more. For just $1/month, you can get access to not only incredible content, but more access to me. $12/year is like one month of Netflix! There’s a big
butthough. You should only donate if you find value in what I’m doing. There’s lots of great content out there, and lots of people vying for your hard-earned money. I only want you to donate if you dig what I’m doing. Rest assured, my blog, podcast, and YouTube channel will continue to have quality free content. Donating (and reaching my goals) just means more.
Speaking of…if you do decide to donate, you’re in for a treat! I want you to
feelthe value you’re adding. I think the best way for you to do that through great rewards at all levels.
I wouldn’t be able to do this at all without the incredible support I’ve gotten so far from family and friends, guests, sponsors, and of-course, you!
7 months ago I took my business full-time. Being a freelancer for most of my life, and even doing it full-time for a while after college, I thought I had a pretty good handle on how things would work. But as it turns out, the product space is a lot harder to work in than the services space (for me). I’ve lamented over the last few months that it’s easier for me to sell one person on a $5,000 project, than 100 people on a $50 course. But after attending CaboPress and participating in an amazing Master Mind group, I was able to get some perspective and readjust. The Autumn and Winter have been much better than the Summer.
But what does that have to do with a new site I launched called Creator Courses? Everything! I decided that as well as do an intro course on Gutenberg, I would launch a new brand. Here’s how I did it, and why.
Get the exact framework I used to go from burnt out to taking 6 weeks off to spend with family in less than 12 months Join my mailing list: