Business is a journey and this year has been a rollercoaster , but my online business is projected to close at $25K USD, working 10 -15 hours a week from home, without having to miss out on time with friends or family.

I’m sharing this to document my business journey, share with you something that is realistic, and hopefully to help you avoid mistakes, save time, and increase your income online.

So if you are a busy professional, with a full time job, a career, and want to diversify your income online, leveraging social media and YouTube, and want to make passive income, then this is for you.

(BTW, I offer a limited number of coaching sessions. Book a video call here, if you are interested)

Building the Business

I started posting content online a few years ago on YouTube, and though I had a successful coaching business helping engineering professionals, I wanted to explore other options.

I saw the potential YouTube had to offer, so I wanted to see how else I could monetize the content I was making.

Well, this quest led me down the rabbit hole of making many YouTube mistakes, and even feeling defeated at one point back in 2023.

I almost gave up on YouTube and I was seriously considering just leaving it altogether.

Before I left YouTube, I decided to give it one more try and recalibrate my efforts.

At this point, I was more experienced and more educated when it comes to online business, and being intentional with content, so I was more cautious with the stuff I was putting out.

I was no longer “just posting content.”

I wanted to be strategic and intentional; I just needed a signal to go in the right path.

I told myself:

“OK Alex. You’ve made over 300 videos on YouTube, and the revenue is now showing. Let’s recalibrate, look at the data, and see what is working, so you can double down on it.”

And that’s exactly what I did.

When I looked at my data, I noticed two videos I made were doing quite well.

I will explain how I came up with those video ideas in another post, but for now, all you need to know is not only were those videos getting a lot of views, they also paid affiliate commissions.

People who watched the videos were using the links I provided them with (see the description of the video below), and the banks which I had reviewed paid me a small commission.

I remember back in January 2024, I was laying on the couch and checked one of my accounts and saw $300 sitting there, and my heart sank.

My eyes opened wide and told my wife “OMG, this is working!”

Finally! The signal I was looking for.

Well, I decided to go all in.

I decided to go deeper into the world of high yield savings accounts, sharing information, doing research, and sharing everything I knew, and all of my findings with people who needed guidance and help making decisions to get paid top dollar for their savings.

This led me to making about 60 videos focused on personal finance, high yield savings accounts, credit card reviews, and other relevant ones.

What I liked best about this business model was the fact that I made the videos, shared my genuine thoughts, opinions, and then shared links with the audience, and if they found my video helpful, they signed up with my links.

There was no other time commitment (with the exception of a few coaching clients, who I helped establish a tailored financial plan).

It was a relatively simple business model.

The Results of This (Almost) 12-Month Experiment

At the time of writing of this article, it’s 12/11/2024, so there is a little bit more to go in 2024, but I can share with you that the business made the most revenue and profit ever.

To me, this is a HUGE win.

Here are the numbers:

• The business grew 3X: The revenue will be about $25,000 USD. Compared to last year in 2023 when it made about $8,000 (from another YouTube channel.
• My highest grossing day was almost $500 (I saw commissions come in while I was literally spending time with my family). I honestly couldn’t believe it.

• The channel grew exponentially in 2024.
  • It got got 416,000K views (2023 was 136,000) (3X Increase)
  • It gained 2100 subscribers (2023 was 688) (3X increase)
  • Ad revenue made $11,189 as of today 12/10 (2023 was $705) (15X increase)

• Affiliates, which I’d never done before, made about $12,000. Here’s an example of the commissions from one product.

One thing to keep in mind is although these numbers are based on the last 11 months, my focus was strong and targeted for only about eight months (there were times I wouldn’t post videos, or would get busy with family, and I wasn’t making time for the business).

I am 100% sure it would have been better had I been fully focused all year round, but oh well, hindsight is 20/20.

OK, having said all of this, here are some things I could have done better:

1. Develop a better content creation system to make more videos faster. YouTube takes time and developing a content system is crucial.
2. Hire editors and script writers, research assistants: Making a YouTube video requires a script, editing, thumbnail creation, keyword research, research, and I could have saved a lot of time if I outsources some of these tasks (I did try to do it at some point, but I did not like the work I got, so I decided to keep doing it myself. Maybe a mistake).
3. Build more relationships and get affiliate partnerships: In the affiliate marketing business model, relationships are important. More affiliate partnerships mean more chances to help more people, and make more money.
4. Stop listening to too many people, getting distracted. Sometimes I would get side tracked by other business ideas, or projects due to listening to too many people. At one point, I unsubscribed from many newsletters, influencers, and deleted apps off my phone. That helped me stay focused.
5. Becoming more consistent with posting helpful videos: One of the biggest challenges for me was inconsistency. I think having a better content creation system would have helped me here.
6. Branching out and testing out more relevant content: There is nothing wrong with posting other related content to careers, or business, but instead, I only focused on personal finance and high yield savings accounts mainly. I think I could have expanded my reach and make more money with affiliates if I had branched out a little more. As opposed to only talking about banks, I could have talked about career certificates, or investing apps, etc.
7. Partnering/creating a community with other like-minded individuals: The more I get into online business, the more I understand the importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals who are on the same path as you. I’m still looking, so if you are interested, DM me on IG 🙂 Let’s talk business and help each other out!

Actions to Apply to Your Own Business Journey as a Busy Professional with a Career

Alright, here are some tips and strategies I would share with my younger self, based on my lessons learned and wisdom acquired:

1. Lean into your experience:

If you are in the beginning steps, trying to identify an opportunity, looking for “the perfect” business idea, lean into your own experience and validate it. If others are doing it, that means there is demand, and you can make it work.

I’ll talk about this in another post, but I honestly spent too much time in this step and it led me to overthinking, stress, frustration, and wasted time.

2. Build a business that works for you

One thing I’ve learned is there are tons of business vehicles, some are faster than others, but the key is to stay true to yourself, your responsibilities, your availability, strengths, and willingness to work.

Just because Real Estate Rentals are promoted heavily by influencers, it doesn’t mean it’s for me.

I have no interest in real estate, or owning a rental property.

I love the one-person online business model; coaching, affiliate marketing, social media, YouTube, writing, making videos and helping people.

Ask yourself, what do you like? Lean into your experience, interests, opportunity, and go all in.

3. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself and your content, and what you have to offer

I used to be embarrassed to promote myself, or share what I did, especially because I am an engineer with a professional career.

Here’s the thing I’ve learned:

If you are sharing and making content that genuinely helps people, no one will care. In fact, they might ask you how you did it.

When it comes to your professional life, no one has to know you have a side business.

A few months ago I was speaking with this electrical engineer who has a successful online business on YouTube and he asked me not to tell anyone, or share his name online, because no one knew about it at his job.

Make content you’re proud of, and you’ll stop caring.

4. Stop listening to too many people, put your blinders on

One of the biggest challenges nowadays is social media and learning when to stop the flood of advice we get on shorts, reels, tik-tok, YouTube, facebook, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, I love social media, but it also leads to distractions and unsolicited ideas once you start scrolling.

If you are not fully, 100% locked in on your goals, you will get derailed easily.

Trust me. I’ve been there.

So delete apps, post and leave, limit your social media consumption and the number of people you listen to.

5. If something is working, double down

Profit is the life of a business.

If you are not making money to pay the bills, to survive, to make your life better, how can you keep helping others?

We’re not a charity.

Certainly, I’m not running one.

There is nothing wrong with making money, especially by helping people.

So once you see a signal, once people pay for your services, once people give you money, once a video topic goes viral, or a social media post gets a ton of engagement, that is signal.

That means people like what they see, and they want more.

That’s when you need to double down.

Just be careful, don’t go in too hard that you lose your soul in the process, but do it mindfully and be aware that it’s an opportunity you can’t let go to waste.

If you can, you must.

6. Take advantage of your breaks in your already busy life (at night, afternoon if you have a family, right before work)

Listen, I’m a husband, father, son, friend, engineering professional, online business owner, and I wear many hats just like you.

That means there are many responsibilities and my attention gets pulled in different directions throughout the days, weeks, and months.

That’s why I learned to make the most of my time and get work done when my little daughter takes a nap (or when she does!), before work, after work, when my family goes to bed, spending one hour or two on weekends right before I spend the day with the fam.

The key is to maximize your time whenever possible, so you can make progress.

Short 15-30 minute breaks add up throughout the day, weeks, and months. Remember this to get ahead.

7. Take care of yourself, mental health, physical health

Oof. Not many people talk about this, but I had to include it.

If you have no health, you are doomed and won’t be helpful to yourself, to your family, or the world.

Making time to take care of your mental and physical health is the foundation to help others.

Go for a walk after work, or during lunch time, wake up before work to hit the gym, sleep, and care for your nutrition.

Basic stuff that we need to be reminded of on a daily basis 🙂

Your performance, mood, and mindset at work, in your business, and your relationships will improve.

8. Communicate with your spouse

As a married man, this is crucial.

When you have family responsibilities, it’s important to communicate, and share not only what you’re doing, but also what you are planning on doing today, tomorrow, and this week.

My wife and I have a calendar and are in constant communication of what is going on in both of our little worlds.

She can’t read my mind, and I can’t read hers.

This communication allows me to make time for the business, plan family days, visit family, spend time with friends, go out, etc.

This is much different than when we did not communicate as well, which led to misunderstandings, schedule conflicts, frustration, etc.

Let your wife or husband, or significant other know that your work on the business is important not just for you, but also for the future of both of you.

Let them see the benefit, and you’ll get more empathy and space.

9. Work with people, connect, introduce yourself.

The best time to “network” or build a relationship is when you don’t need it.

Many people “hate” the word networking, and they don’t like it, but the truth is, we live in a world where networking determines your net worth.

They say your network is your net worth.

There is some truth to it.

The jobs I’ve gotten, which paid me more money, are all because of networks and people I knew.

When you get in business, I’m realizing the same thing. You can partner up with people and you can help each other avoid mistakes and save time.

This is honestly why I am a big believer in coaching and mentorship, as it allows everyone to save time by paying a small fee.

This is exactly why I started my coaching services back in the day; to be the mentor and guide I wish I had when I was younger.

So connect with others, network, and invest in yourself, even if it means paying to play to join networks or hire someone.

10. Figure it out

Don’t be that person who waits and waits for everyone to tell them what to do, or how to do it.

Be proactive and be the person who figures it out.

Now with artificial intelligence, there really is no excuse. Personally, I love perplexity and ChatGPT.

Go ask questions, do deep dives, research, and then ask people.

Be the person who figures it out. That’s a valuable life skill in and of itself.

Bottom Line

Looking back, it’s been a breakthrough year for my online business, and I am excited about the future. Yes, not everything was perfect, and I have a lot of lessons learned for the future, but this progress gives me more proof and experience to take my business to higher levels.

God will help me make a decision whether or not I continue with the affiliate business model or I incorporate it as part of a bigger, larger, longer term project, so more to come on this progress!

If you are just getting started, make a decision today and go all in. 2025 is your year, and I want you to write a report at the end to document your journey and let yourself know that you can do this and you’re meant for great things.

To your success, and cheers to 2025.

BTW, if you are ready to diversify your income online and need guidance identifying your niche, your offer, or choosing the perfect business for your lifestyle, book a 1:1 consulting session here. Looking forward to speaking with you!