BUSINESS, COACHING

How I Make Money in my Online Business!

October 1, 2018

I get it.
It can be completely confusing when you see people who work for themselves – and it seems like they are doing it by living a perfectly curated, pinterest worthy life.

You catch yourself wondering…
How are they actually making money?
Is their life that perfect all the time?
Can I just post on Instagram for a living?

The answers are:
Not the way you think.
Heck no.
And sorry but, absolutely not!

Listen, I won’t lie that there are some beautiful perks to working for yourself via your own online personal brand. But in order to make a good living, there is WAY more to it than a beautiful instagram feed.

2018 was a turning point for the ‘influencer’. It was one of the first years in history that ALL major corporate brands actually made room in their marketing budgets to work with Influencers. It is set to be a multi-billion dollar industry next year.

Side note: All bloggers can’t stand the term ‘Influencer’. But when a major corporate brand has budgeted hundreds of thousands of dollars for ‘influencer marketing’ — you go with it.

So I get it, the photoshoots, the recipe creating, the travel, the paid for meals and gorgeous events.
It all seems so glamorous! And to be honest at times, it is.

But full disclosure: there are very few people making good money working as an influencer full-time.
It wouldn’t be sustainable to have every single post on your blog and Instagram sponsored. Your followers would feel you were inauthentic, and although it looks easy – it can also be be HARD WORK.

Personally, I’m super picky about who I work with. If I don’t actually use and love the product I won’t work with the brand.

But if I’m being perfectly honest, sponsored posts are only about 10% of my total income at this point in my career.
I have so many other things going on behind the scenes and this is what inspired this post because – I actually make money in 7 different ways. And so can you!

My mission is to educate women how to make money online. Personally, I think the traditional 9-5 model is archaic and in 100 years will be non-existent. So, instead of pretending that I only make money from pretty pictures on instagram, I’m getting REAL with you. Because my mission in life is getting women like you online doing what you love. And showing you it is possible and not as far fetched as you think! 🙂

Lately every application to work with me as a Coach has come rolling in saying the same thing…
“my biggest dream is to work as an influencer” — and so it became very apparent to me that we need some serious transparency on how MOST people with an online brand make money.
Because most, myself included, don’t make a proper living off just working with brands. It’s a beautiful bonus, that I love doing!
However to live the life I love, I make money in many different ways.

Here are 7 ways you can make money as an online brand:

Contractor

Doing anything!
This can be a full-time position, but on your terms. Usually from home or only part-time in an office.
One of my main contracts right now is working for another Coaching company – I coach coaches on branding and marketing. It’s about 5 hours a week, pays really well and I love it.
I always have new contracts on the go. It keeps me excited about work! I’ve been a contractor for about 8 years now.

A contract can be anything, but instead of being an employee, you are on a contract.
More examples could be: A one time event, full/part time position billed to your own company, etc.

All of my employees are contractors. I love to empower women to have their own biz and work their own hours.
Also, many of my Coaching clients have quit their jobs by landing monthly contracts such as: running a companies social media, doing photography, blogging for other brands, and so on.

The upsides to being a contractor are:
owning your own business, charging a lot more money for the same job as a full-time employee, working from anywhere and working your own/less hours.
The downsides would be:
You have the responsibilities of a biz owner (taxes,etc), you likely don’t get benefits – however sometimes I write this into my contracts if it’s a corporate company and lastly, it can end at any time/less job security.

Personally I think the upside outweighs the downsides. I love being my own boss and the other downsides are just fear based. As long as you are responsible and hard-working, it’s a win/win!

Consultant

Consulting for an existing business in a field you are an expert in!
I’ve worked with dozens of companies as an online marketing expert and in the fields of nutrition, lifestyle and wellness.
Consulting jobs are typically a one-time task or a limited time. Examples of consulting jobs I’ve had are: Healthy menu creation, Online brand consulting such as launching an e-commerce store, workplace mindfulness programs or a rebrand for companies looking to move more into the technology space.

ECommerce

Selling anything from your website!
This can be physical products, services or digital products – the sky is the limit.
An example of this would be my Blogger Launch course, however it also falls under the next category as well.

Educator

Similar to ECommerce, but teaching online what you are an expert in.
This is a huge part of my income and my goal is to make E-courses 80% of my income in 2019.

Again, an example of this would be my Blogger Launch course.
E-courses were a $100 billion industry in 2018. So the market for people wanting to learn online is not going anywhere!
You could also teach through e-books, workout or other videos, in person classes, retreats, and coaching. If you are teaching a skill, you are an educator.

Services

Services are the primary way I make money online. I offer and talk about my Coaching services online, and then clients apply and we take it from there. I also sell my services as a website designer, branding coach and online marketing expert.
This could apply for Designers, Coaches, Personal Trainers, Custom Artists, Therapists, Beauty Services and so much more.

Payment for services might not necessarily be taken online, but the information is online – as is a way to get in touch with you to book.

Personal Branding

Blogging or building your online brand for opportunity, national exposure, to get media exposure, to stay current.
This would apply to those of you who want media exposure for your product such as Authors. You aren’t necessarily making money from your website, but having an online brand leads to more sales.

Influencer

There is a lot more that goes into being paid to be a blogger than you think. So much so that I made an entire course on it! See The Blogger Launch, here.
In this course I go in-depth about the 7 ways you can make money from your Blog and Online Brand. BUT I’m a huge believer that it all starts with an incredible online presence.

Think about it. Would you want to invest thousands of dollars with someone by purchasing their online program if they didn’t have any online presence? Of course not! You want to research who you are investing in. Know they are legit and that you like their vibe.

And when you perfect your online brand, you open up the door to work with brands that align with you and get paid to do it.

When influencers work with brands, there is a lot that goes into it. We are the creative directors, models, food stylists, photographers, editors and writers. Typically campaigns that would have had a dozen or more people on it – are now all being done by one person (plus a photographer if we are lucky!).
I’ve blogged for 10 years because I love sharing my life. Working with brands who love my online presence and want me to share their product is a dream come true. But it can be hard work!

So if you love following a certain blogger – make sure to like and comment and show lots of love on their sponsored posts, too! The more you encourage and support, the more the industry grows and makes room for YOU! 🙂

Do you want to learn more about getting online in a huge way?
Enrolment for the Blogger Launch is opening again soon. Click here and enter your name and email for more information on how we can work together and get you online in a huge and impactful way!