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September 2015: Income Report - Koh Phangan, Kuala Lumpar, Chiang Mai


It's been a fun, yet insane past 30 days. I just got back spending the past 10 days on the legendary full moon party island of Koh Phangan and the week before that I had to make a quick visa run to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. You'd think I didn't get anything done at all with this travel schedule, but it was actually quite productive. Hanging out down on the islands was a much needed rejuvenation and since there's a new coworking space there, I actually got stuff done.

As always I have the bad habit of not looking at any of my numbers until the end of the month when I actually sit down to write these things so I have no idea if my income went up or down! I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope it went well! Here are my actual screen shots, and how much I made from my various income sources including book sales, udemy, dropshipping, advertising, affiliate commission, membership sites, youtube, and coaching.



*There's a video follow along this month at the bottom of the post for anyone's who's interested in it sooner, it's here.


Income from Book Sales:


Last month was a fantastic month for book sales after getting featured on Entrepreneur and Business Insider. This month it looks like total sales are still up by over 50% from before the feature so that's great news. Hopefully with all of the awesome reviews people have been leaving for the book it'll continue to trend upwards.

Total Profit from Book Sales: $332.66







paperback book sales for sept


New Book Reviews for September: 


Thanks so much to Randy, Shaisha, Adam and GH for taking the time to leave reviews for the books on Amazon. It helps a ton with the rankings of the book and getting them in front of more people.

If anyone hasn't read the books yet, check out 12 Weeks in Thailand: The Good Life on the Cheap and Life Changes Quick today.


johnny fd review

johnnyfd review



Income from Udemy Courses:


Another month of 100% passive income from my Udemy courses as I haven't been promoting them. Larissa and I split Small Talk and Get Relationship Ready 50/50 which is why the numbers look a lot lower than the Jump Start course which is 100% mine.

About 40% of my income comes from Udemy, Affiliates and Udemy Ads promoting my courses and the other 60% has come from either my blog or posts in various forums.


Total Profit from Udemy: $265.71







Income from Drop Shipping:



August was a pretty bad month for my drop shipping stores, but I've went in, fixed my ads and am back on track! Bam! My main store got $24k in sales this month with just over $500 in advertising.

Anyone who still thinks spending $997 on the course that taught me step by step how to setup these stores doesn't understand investing in yourself and in your education. Anyone who thinks dropshipping is a scam or doesn't work needs to read this post.

Total Gross Sales: $24,013.14
Advertising Costs: $515.91
Customer Service: $150
Shopify Cost: $79
Costs of Items/Shipping/Etc: ----

+$387.56~ in travel reward credit.


Total Profit from Store #1:  $4,057.72 +/-
*Waiting on VA to update the exact shipping costs.





For the other store and Larissa and I run together we had a pretty decent month but hopefully we can scale it up in the next month or two as we still need to add more suppliers and products. I also need to setup the store to optimize better as right now our purchase rate is super low compared to the add to carts. 

Total Gross Sales: $8,435.00
Advertising Costs: $232
Customer Service: $150
Shopify Cost: $59.25 (Sign up for the Travel Like a Boss VIP List to get a 20% off Shopify Coupon)
Costs of Items/Shipping/Etc: ----

+$146~ in travel reward credit.

Total Profit from Store #2: $2,410.79
(Shared with Larissa + Spiffs to our VA)






Bonus Dropshipping Income:


If you remember a few months ago, I had some income from a 3rd store that I was a partner in setting up but was run day to day by another friend. He ended up selling the store because he got busy with his job and was nice enough to send me $1,850 as a thank you for helping him set it up.

I think he undervalued it and could have gotten even more, but it was cool seeing how easy it was to sell and that the payout wasn't that bad for a store with only a few months of track record.

A small part of me is still debating if I want to hire a team of VAs to help me setup new stores following the same methods I learned in Anton's Course but instead of running them myself, have it run completely by virtual assistants with the sole intention of selling them after 6-12 months of profitability for a big payout. Not only would it be a nice additional source of passive income but having big $20,000+ paydays after half a year wouldn't be a bad game plan.

Total income from Store #3: $1,850.00



Total income from Drop Shipping: $7,646.28 (My share of net profit after all expenses)







Miscellaneous Income: 


Coaching:

I had one in person coaching session his month where I helped a fellow DSL member optimize his store for more sales. He was already profitable so it was all about trying to make more sales with the same amount of traffic.

He signed up for 2x sessions for $195 but so far only used one, making this month's profit: $97.50

Advertising:

I also made around $7 this month from Adsense and another $63.71 from my Youtube channel.

There might be some other things I've forgotten about, but all of these are bonus items that I don't really think about too much but it all adds up!

Total Profit from Misc: $168.21







Income from Affiliate Commissions:


I'm really excited for this section as I've been using myself as a case study for my new course Earnest Affiliate. I've finally accepted the fact that even though I'm decent at setting up ecommerce stores, publishing books, creating Udemy courses my real calling is teaching and sharing information. I love making myself a guinea pig to find things that work and sharing with others.

My natural talent is networking, creating relationships, teaching and interviewing others on my podcast. I know that if I spent all of my time and energy I could crush it with ten more dropshipping stores, but it honestly just doesn't excite me and I'd rather spend my time reviewing products, writing reviews, and interviewing interesting guests.


Here's a sneak peek at some of the items I promote in Case Study 2 of 5


Last month I decided to promote a completely new offer that I saw value in that I never promoted before in the past and make over $1,000 that very month which was pretty cool as I was able to use that as case study #5 in my course.

A lot of people think all of my affiliate income comes from promoting drop shipping since I'm so vocal about it, but in reality it's only 20% of what I promote through my various blogs, mailing list, podcast, and social media.


Sneak Peak of 1 of 5 of my affiliate partner program dashboards


Total income from Affiliate Commissions: $12,458.76


Want to earn EXACTLY how I made over $12k a month from affiliate commissions with ZERO paid ads, no complicated SEO, no private blog networks and only recommending products and services that I personally use and earnestly recommend? Join the course and I will show you step by step how to replicate my success with your own blog! 

With easy to follow video tutorials, I show you step by step how to start a blog, create content, find and get approved by affiliate offers, and how to get free traffic. As a huge bonus, you'll get access to the private member forums, personal help with your site, and access to all of my confidential case studies which show you behind the scenes in my personal dashboards how much i'm making from each individual product, how I'm promoting the item, and where the traffic comes from. 

Right now the course is still only $197 but will go up to $297 as soon as I'm done creating the final videos. Members who get in early get lifetime access to all future updates, so if you've ever been interested in creating a blog, website, or podcast and want to monetize it with affiliate offers spending $200 on a course where I show you exactly how I make $12,000 a month should be a no brainer. 



Inside the member's area of Earnest Affiliate including the case studies


Total Income from New EA Signups: $1,374.74


I'm still making 10x more from being an affiliate myself than selling my course, but I didn't create it for short term profits, I'm in it for the long run as I truly believe I can create success for my members and in the next couple of months and can surpass even my own income.  My goal is to help members become so successful they will spread the word and the course will help bring my income to the next level.

Here's what a member of Earnest Affiliate posted in our private member forums the other day:

"I decided to take the affiliate model inspired by this course and asked my business friends to simply refer people to me rather than sell my software themselves.  I had a sale for thousands of pounds within a week or so of arriving here, so I can vouch this technique really works.  It keeps the selling to those with the most expertise, and then refer people to them when they are trustworthy. Thanks Johnny." -John C. UK

Join the course here for only $197 and only for a limited time.






Living Expenses for September 2015:


Rent: $329.43 a month (the USD dollar keeps getting stronger!)
Utilities: $15.62 a month
Internet/Phone: $16.85 a month
Coworking Office: $109.38 a month
Gym Membership: $39.06 a month
Food: $468.75 a month
Misc: $125 (random crap I forget about)

Flight: Visa run to KL: $115.68
Hotel: 1 Night in KL: $18.71 a night

Flight to Koh Phangan: $397.85
Hotel: Free

Scuba Diving at Sail Rock: $75

Unlocked iPhone 6S Plus 64gb: $897.82

This month my expenses were almost double what I normally spend but it was mainly because of the new phone and the 10 day trip down to the islands for the full moon party and to hang out on the beach with friends.


A photo posted by Johnny FD (@johnnyfdk) on


Total Expenses for September: $2,579.09

Total Profit for September: $22,246.36




I just spent the last 10 minutes in awe as I had no freaking idea my income would be this high this month. A few hours ago, I posted on my facebook page that I was getting ready to write my income report for the month and asked people to guess if it would be higher or lower than last month.

One person guessed it would increase to $15,000 which I thought at the time would be impossible. But I guess I really need to stop underestimating myself and the work I've put in these past two years. A big thanks to Simon, as well as all you, the readers who have been super supportive of my journey these past few months.

You guys have no idea how motivating it is to hear success stories on a daily basis from people who have benefited from my books, blog or podcast and made it happen for yourselves. Thank you for giving me a reason to continue to share, write these crazy long income reports and spend do what I truly love doing. I genuinely appreciate everyone who actually takes the time to read the entire post and not just scroll down to the bottom. Leave a comment below if you read the whole thing! I want to hear from you!




I hope everyone enjoyed this month's income report and hopefully either learned something, got inspired or got some ideas. I sincerely hope everyone crushes it this month! Let me know in the comments how you did last month and what you have planned for October 2015.

By the way, I wasn't sure if I should have this video on the top or bottom, but here's the follow along video for the month where I explain in a bit more detail about each revenue stream. Let me know in the comments if you actually enjoy the video accompaniment and if you'd rather have it in the start or at the end of the post.


Video Follow Along: 





Warm Regards,

Johnny

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Post a Comment

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Anant, I appreciate your continued support month after month!

      Delete
  2. That's amazing Johnny, hard work and genuine value in all that you do pays off. Big Congrats!

    What VA service do you use? I wasn't able to find that in your recommended resources section

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. er nevermind, I was blind, found it!

      Delete
    2. Hey Jonathan, I appreciate the kudos buddy! Glad you found it buried in the RR section =)

      Delete
  3. I'm really grateful that you post these reports because they've done a ton to expand my worldview. I work in a pretty lucrative field (software development consulting) at a pretty high hourly in NYC, but between my taxes (close to 50% between city/state/federal/payroll/social security), living expenses, insurance, etc it's almost depressing how relatively little is left in the end. It's empowering to be reminded what's actually possible. Between all your projects, your not wasting money on stupid luxuries, your foreign tax exclusions and low living expenses and, of course, your incredibly hard work and the income it's generating for you you are kicking ass in a remarkable way! I also want to let you know that I've been reading this blog and listening to your podcasts for over a year so I know and appreciate how hard you've worked for it and that is didn't come easy. Thanks for posting these reports and about your lifestyle, work and philosophies. It's really done a lot for me. Hopefully I will make it to Chiang Mai some time soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey thanks for following the journey now for such a long time! I wonder if you can use your dev skills to work remotely and take advantage of everything you just mentioned in your comment?

      I can imagine how much it must cost living in NYC!

      Delete
  4. Killing it! Congrats. A true inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  5. hey johnny. why dont you create an audiobook version for your two books? you could easily create an audiobook for your 2 books. just split the profits 50/50 with a voice narrator. it takes less than 30 minutes to setup. and you could easily make an extra 100$ per month. its not a lot but i think people would rather enjoy listening to your audiobook along with the paperback book and kindle book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey great idea Yang. I actually thought about narrating Life Changes Quick myself as I think people would enjoy hearing the book read from my own voice. I know I always prefer books read by the author. I'll add it to my todo list! Thanks for the advice =)

      Delete
  6. Johnny where did you stay on Koh Phangan? I was there in Feb and stayed at Rainbow Bungalows on Bankai Beach. Owned by a sassy Aussie named Martin and his wonderful wife Noy - are the best. When I go back I'll head straight to his place.

    Did you do Full Moon?
    We did Half in the jungle. What a crazy, crazy place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Jeremy, I stayed at a place called Buri Beach Resort. I'm writing up a full guide to Koh Phagan soon so keep an eye out for it.

      Glad you had fun on the island!

      Delete
  7. Congrats on the big month Johnny.

    Quick question- on your screenshot of Amazon affiliate sales, it looks like you promoted your own ebook as an affiliate. Is this always allowed by Amazon? For some reason I thought that if you publish an ebook with them, you cannot also gain income by referring affiliate sales.

    Maybe that's just for KDP, which is what I had used. Any insight on this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey thanks so much Biron!

      It's actually one of the techniques I show inside Earnest Affiliate, Amazon absolutely lets you promote your own kindle books through your own affiliate links and it's a great way to make extra income.

      Delete
  8. Hi Johnny this was encouraging I am in the US and a newbie to internet where do think I should start for passive income. The drop ship & your class sound interesting. I got a lot of energy but no direction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Dr. SheLution, if you're just starting out, I'd recommend you start with dropshipping as it's the most straight forward route to online business. Especially since you're from the U.S. the path to starting a profitable ecommerce store is really straight forward as long as you put in the work and follow directions: http://www.johnnyfd.com/2013/08/start-here-here-are-steps-to-start.html

      Plus it's how I started and is how I'd advise my friends to start as well.

      Delete
  9. Is it me...or does anyone else feel like a slacker? (LoL) Humble beginnings...very humble.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Bobby, no need to feel like a slacker, all of this is just consistant action over months and months =)

      Delete
  10. Hey Johnny, how can you stay in Thailand for such long period of time?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Astra - if you feel like you're just starting out, read my two books 12 Weeks in Thailand then Life Changes Quick and you'll see how I started as well.

      All of this is only recent!

      Delete
  11. Thank you Johnny, this is so inspiring! :) I'm leaving for Thailand next week as well, to pursue my dreams! Good luck on your journey!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey thanks Tomas! Have fun in Thailand! Make sure you read 12 Weeks in Thailand on the plane or before you come, as it'll save you money and give you some tips on what to do.

      Delete
  12. Hey Johny, really interesting to see the breakdown of your income and expenses. I got inspired to look at dropshipping more thoroughly. I like to take examples of successful store and see how they set up the whole thing before launching mine. I guess you're not sharing your stores url for safety reasons but do you have great example of stores you looked at when setting yours? or could you possibly share your stores? thanks appreciated man

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Dollars, glad you enjoyed the breakdown. Take a look at this post: http://www.johnnyfd.com/2014/08/how-i-started-tiffanylampcollectioncom.html Hope it helps!

      Delete
  13. Replies
    1. Haha thanks for spelling it out Konrad! I app-er-ciateee it.

      Delete
  14. I already left a comment but I don't think it went through... so in case not... Great job! Truly inspiring, I am definitely a new follower.

    I currently have a drop shipping business, but am struggling with suppliers. Please post any recommendations you may have. I am currently selling women's fashion, but would like to open another more niche specific store.

    Thank you for all the great posts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey really glad you are following the journey. Honestly Women's fashion is a really difficult niche to dropship in for a lot of reasons including the price point being low and there being too many refunds. Check out how I started here: http://www.johnnyfd.com/2013/08/start-here-here-are-steps-to-start.html

      Best of luck with your journey!

      Delete
  15. Wow congrats Johnny! I signed up to DSL a few months back but my day job is holding me back a bit. Nevertheless I'm on track to be able to live in Thailand for long enough to get stuck into it! Thanks for your inspiration and transparency and hope you keep crushing it!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Well thats a bummer. I signed up for the anton course from another page from your website and did not get access to your videos. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Mason, as long as you used any of the links on my site you should get access to the bonus jump start course for free. You'll get it a few days after you get forum access. Let me know if you don't. =)

      Delete
  17. Hey Johnny,

    What kind of traffic does your blog receive (where I'm assuming you get most of your affiliate income from)?

    Great job on following Pat Flynn's formula to a tee. It seems like the formula of making mone online by helping people make money online is one of the tried & true tenets of the web.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JohnnyFD.com gets about 20,000 unique visitors a month without any paid ads or SEO =) I show my analytics inside the traffic module of my course Earnest Affiliate and actually use Patt Flynn as one of my case studies inside the course as well, even though I started my blog well before I heard about him.

      My formula consists of sharing everything that works, not just online business, but fitness, health, relationships, and productivity software and products that I personally use and would recomend.

      Delete
  18. Just found your site a couple months ago. Still not sure what I am doing business-wise (besides freelance writing and blogging) but I do love seeing other people succeed and following their journeys. I will be heading to Thailand for the first time in January, so looking forward to it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Sabra, glad you already have your foot in the door with blogging and freelance writing. I'm sure you're going to love Thailand, make sure you check out the digital nomad scene in Chiang Mai if you have time!

      Delete
  19. Hi Johnny,

    I'm new to your blog, great stuff! I just had my first +10k month in my very young make-money-on-the-internet-career, your blog is a great inspirations on how to diversify my sources of income.

    Keep em' coming!

    Jona

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Jona,

      Really glad you found my blog and big congrats on having your first $10,000 month! Glad my income reports have inspired you to diversify your streams. Can I ask what you're making money from now and what you're looking to get into?

      Delete

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