Coming to Work
I barely worked.
I hadn't scheduled my newsletters so that was the main part. This is because I left for my vacation earlier than planned and left in a rush. So all the newsletters were pending.
Even Twitter and LinkedIn posts were ad-hoc.
Hours Worked
As you see above, I worked about 15.5 hours in total.
Money Made
Getting straight to the point because I value your time :)
This amounts to ₹3,20,742 in Indian Rupees.
That's $255 or ₹21,354 per hour hour.
It's not bad at all considering my bills were paid and I earned this on a holiday.
Here's how this happened
Several factors come into play when it comes to my biggest chunk of this source (brand sponsorship):
- Credibility: I have been writing online for a while to build a brand and an audience. This brings in brands.
- Luck: I get way fewer brand sponsorships than my creator friends. Maybe because I have higher rates, I don't know. I got lucky to get two in one month. Don't let the numbers fool you - this is rare for me.
- Transparency: I have a public page with my rates. It helps brands pay first and get on board with me. And it also helps weed out brands because I'm not up for any negotiation.
What I could've done better
I have products out there that make 100% passive income.
Yet I barely spoke about them or plugged them in.
Gumroad making me $80 in passive income is actually terrible because if I plug it right, it can make me at least $1500 of passive income each month.
My strategy would be to plug it into my newsletter better and my LinkedIn + Twitter.
What YOU can do to get here
I wouldn't write this newsletter if you couldn't use my somewhat tiny success to your advantage. I write this newsletter to help you grow and get closer to your goals.
- Consistency: This is absolutely essential. You are seeing the fruits of my labour which is 3 years of being consistent on LinkedIn and writing since I was 7 years old. Don't fixate on the tip of my iceberg, look beneath it. There's enormous effort that has gone into this.
- Awareness: If you don't know what to do in life or what to write about, you probably need to be more self-aware. Look within. Awareness and focus are getting lost today because we are all so worked up and firing our neurons scrolling. It is the real 'hack' to greatness.
- Help yourself: If you see someone you want to be like, look if they have resources available. I have products and once in a while open spots for consultation. Read books, consume podcasts, etc. No excuses in today's world, literally.
- Obsession: Find that one thing and go all into it. Whether its starting a side business, building your brand, writing online - anything. This is how you will become known for something that will attract an audience interested in those topics.
Real wealth
Solopreneurship has not made me millions (yet) but it has made me wealthy. I own my time. I could take so much time off only to be with my family and have fun.
As I land in India, I'll be off to see my family in my hometown for a week.
I meet people I love whenever I feel like. I am not trading 5 days of work for two days of leisure.
If that isn't wealth, I don't know what is.
That being said, this is my definition of wealth and your definition can be completely different.
In fact, I highly encourage you to find out your own definitions of success, wealth, and happiness. This is more fulfilling than chasing society's definition of this.
Lastly
Winners will get to work because they know action breeds momentum which breeds more action.
Cribbers will crib, be negative, and find a million excuses about why they won't succeed. A mind like that will never produce a good life.
Which one are you?