Brandon1981
New Contributor
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2012
- Messages
- 9
Hey guys/gals!
Well, here goes. I'm Brandon from Indiana, 31, married, 1 kid, 1 on the way. College educated with 2 degrees, one in pro aviation, one in IT. Currently working in IT. I've been searching for a way to make a living, working for myself since I was about 20. Yes, the past 10 years, I've gone through idea after idea, without achieving the success I have strived for. I've been guilty of "idea-itis." I've always loved the idea of starting something new but I've been down so many paths in my life and tried so many things that I basically have gotten nowhere (financially that is, I'm super blessed with family). I go down paths, but run into snags, lose passion then try something else. Anyone else have this problem? :nonod:
Let me see if I can squeeze this all into one sentence. Starting from around the year 2000, I played D1 baseball for a year, quit, tried to sell stuff on ebay, started flying, decided I needed a backup plan in case flying didn't work out (sometimes pilots lose their medical), simultaneously pursued IT degree and aviation degree, learned some programming/web design, started numerous websites that never amounted to anything, signed up to sell some cheap long distance plans that flopped, got interested in real estate, bought/rehabbed 2 houses with my dad and his money, houses didn't profit much, became RE agent, became RE broker, let RE license expire, lost passion for real estate after RE market flopped, started baseball equipment review website, had some success with that ($200-1000/month income), became flight instructor, instructed for a few months before realizing I didn't want to fly for a living, started working for family's printing business, finally graduated college after 8 years of school, started a travel destination website, was recruited by Aflac agent, got insurance license, did the Aflac gig for a few months, hated it, quit, created an e-course about how to build a batting cage to sell on baseball website, it flopped, got a slightly higher paying job at a baking powder factory (hated it), got my first IT job shortly after, started a computer networking site with a colleague as a joint project, Panda/Penguin tanked my baseball site, I shut it down, as of a few days ago, my colleague and I parted ways on our networking site, here I am today.
My God. That is the first time I've really listed all of the crap I've gotten myself into that I haven't seen through to fruition. I just told my wife how embarrassing this posting is for me. The sad thing is there are still other things I could probably squeeze in there.
As you can tell I've struggled to stick with one thing in my life. I like starting new things...a little too much. I like the idea of the new venture...too much. Too much, to the point of diminishing return.
I guess looking back now, the biggest thing I can say is that I've learned a thing or two in all of these ventures of mine over the years. And as you can tell, squeezed in the middle of all that mess was a little business success...my baseball equipment review website. This was built using guidance from a product called Site Built It! by Ken Evoy, a very prominent figure in the "internet business" arena.
Started it back in March of 2007. After a year or so into it, I was earning anywhere from a couple hundred bucks to $1000 per month, depending on the time of year. Most of my income came from Adsense and affiliate sales from a popular baseball equipment retailer. It was during this time that I fell in love with the idea of making a living building/running websites and that has been my goal ever since. It's unfortunate that Google didn't think too much of my site. Their SE algorithm updates pretty much caused my traffic and therefore, income to plummet earlier this year. I decided to shut down the site as of this last summer and re-focus my efforts elsewhere.
Earlier this year, I started a blog called Passive Income Lifestyle (passiveincomelifestyle.com) to document my journey out of the rat race. I don't even really promote it, I just use it more as a journal and update it periodically as I learn new things. I also want to use it to inspire others as I write about my (eventual) successes. And of course, maybe earn a buck or two from it by then.
I also run another website about Traverse City, Michigan. This is a little site that I made about the city. I have relatives there and love the town. It started as a money making venture, but now has turned more into a hobby site. I plan on keeping it around but not for the main purpose of making money from it.
As I mentioned, I work in IT. Earlier this year a co-worker and I decided to start a site about computer networking. Although the site has potential, we've agreed to part ways on it right now because of various reasons.
Basically right now, I'm sitting with a blank slate, ready to start my next project. I'm in the middle of reading MJ's book right now, and if I would have had his book about 10 years ago, I think my life would look a little different now. Seriously, the advice in his book is probably the best I've ever received. The advice from his book is completing the puzzle of so many questions I've had over the years. It all makes perfect sense. The biggest lesson I think I've learned so far is about creating value. Over the years, I was never really interested in impacting anyone except me. For example, my baseball site earned a few bucks, but I wasn't building it for my visitors. I was building it for myself. If I didn't think an article could earn me money, I didn't write it, regardless of whether it would add to the overall perception of the site. Google got smarter, noticed my site wasn't visitor oriented and demoted me. Lesson...I wasn't creating value and I wasn't REALLY interested in helping anyone, except me.
I'm seeing things differently now. I'm scouring forums, I'm reading tweets, I'm trying to really get the feel for what people are saying. I'm trying to FIND THE PAIN.
Anyway, here are my plans as of now...
).
Anyway, that's where I'm at today. I'll wrap it up here for now. I'm considering starting a blog on this site to post updates to my progress as well. I look forward to getting to know all of you and wish you all the best of luck.
Well, here goes. I'm Brandon from Indiana, 31, married, 1 kid, 1 on the way. College educated with 2 degrees, one in pro aviation, one in IT. Currently working in IT. I've been searching for a way to make a living, working for myself since I was about 20. Yes, the past 10 years, I've gone through idea after idea, without achieving the success I have strived for. I've been guilty of "idea-itis." I've always loved the idea of starting something new but I've been down so many paths in my life and tried so many things that I basically have gotten nowhere (financially that is, I'm super blessed with family). I go down paths, but run into snags, lose passion then try something else. Anyone else have this problem? :nonod:
Let me see if I can squeeze this all into one sentence. Starting from around the year 2000, I played D1 baseball for a year, quit, tried to sell stuff on ebay, started flying, decided I needed a backup plan in case flying didn't work out (sometimes pilots lose their medical), simultaneously pursued IT degree and aviation degree, learned some programming/web design, started numerous websites that never amounted to anything, signed up to sell some cheap long distance plans that flopped, got interested in real estate, bought/rehabbed 2 houses with my dad and his money, houses didn't profit much, became RE agent, became RE broker, let RE license expire, lost passion for real estate after RE market flopped, started baseball equipment review website, had some success with that ($200-1000/month income), became flight instructor, instructed for a few months before realizing I didn't want to fly for a living, started working for family's printing business, finally graduated college after 8 years of school, started a travel destination website, was recruited by Aflac agent, got insurance license, did the Aflac gig for a few months, hated it, quit, created an e-course about how to build a batting cage to sell on baseball website, it flopped, got a slightly higher paying job at a baking powder factory (hated it), got my first IT job shortly after, started a computer networking site with a colleague as a joint project, Panda/Penguin tanked my baseball site, I shut it down, as of a few days ago, my colleague and I parted ways on our networking site, here I am today.
My God. That is the first time I've really listed all of the crap I've gotten myself into that I haven't seen through to fruition. I just told my wife how embarrassing this posting is for me. The sad thing is there are still other things I could probably squeeze in there.
As you can tell I've struggled to stick with one thing in my life. I like starting new things...a little too much. I like the idea of the new venture...too much. Too much, to the point of diminishing return.
I guess looking back now, the biggest thing I can say is that I've learned a thing or two in all of these ventures of mine over the years. And as you can tell, squeezed in the middle of all that mess was a little business success...my baseball equipment review website. This was built using guidance from a product called Site Built It! by Ken Evoy, a very prominent figure in the "internet business" arena.
Started it back in March of 2007. After a year or so into it, I was earning anywhere from a couple hundred bucks to $1000 per month, depending on the time of year. Most of my income came from Adsense and affiliate sales from a popular baseball equipment retailer. It was during this time that I fell in love with the idea of making a living building/running websites and that has been my goal ever since. It's unfortunate that Google didn't think too much of my site. Their SE algorithm updates pretty much caused my traffic and therefore, income to plummet earlier this year. I decided to shut down the site as of this last summer and re-focus my efforts elsewhere.
Earlier this year, I started a blog called Passive Income Lifestyle (passiveincomelifestyle.com) to document my journey out of the rat race. I don't even really promote it, I just use it more as a journal and update it periodically as I learn new things. I also want to use it to inspire others as I write about my (eventual) successes. And of course, maybe earn a buck or two from it by then.
I also run another website about Traverse City, Michigan. This is a little site that I made about the city. I have relatives there and love the town. It started as a money making venture, but now has turned more into a hobby site. I plan on keeping it around but not for the main purpose of making money from it.
As I mentioned, I work in IT. Earlier this year a co-worker and I decided to start a site about computer networking. Although the site has potential, we've agreed to part ways on it right now because of various reasons.
Basically right now, I'm sitting with a blank slate, ready to start my next project. I'm in the middle of reading MJ's book right now, and if I would have had his book about 10 years ago, I think my life would look a little different now. Seriously, the advice in his book is probably the best I've ever received. The advice from his book is completing the puzzle of so many questions I've had over the years. It all makes perfect sense. The biggest lesson I think I've learned so far is about creating value. Over the years, I was never really interested in impacting anyone except me. For example, my baseball site earned a few bucks, but I wasn't building it for my visitors. I was building it for myself. If I didn't think an article could earn me money, I didn't write it, regardless of whether it would add to the overall perception of the site. Google got smarter, noticed my site wasn't visitor oriented and demoted me. Lesson...I wasn't creating value and I wasn't REALLY interested in helping anyone, except me.
I'm seeing things differently now. I'm scouring forums, I'm reading tweets, I'm trying to really get the feel for what people are saying. I'm trying to FIND THE PAIN.
Anyway, here are my plans as of now...
- Finish reading MJ's book and brainstorm ideas for my next project while doing so. Obviously, use the knowledge gained for inspiration for my next idea.
- Research potential markets for various pain points and determine how I can use my skills/knowledge to solve their problems.
- I would like to use the "content/computer systems" fastlane business seedlings to build a profitable website or blog.
- I hold a few IT certifications and would like to use that knowledge to help others. Perhaps help others break into the IT industry.
- Eventually sell that website and move onto the next venture.
- Long-term, I see myself acquiring web properties, improving them, and reselling them for decent margins. Then rinsing and repeating. Sort of like "virtual real-estate investing."
- I'm also extremely interested in programming, and would perhaps be interested in mobile app development at some point down the road.
- Long, long-term, I have an interest in the invention of physical products, but would need to learn a few things before then.
).Anyway, that's where I'm at today. I'll wrap it up here for now. I'm considering starting a blog on this site to post updates to my progress as well. I look forward to getting to know all of you and wish you all the best of luck.
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