Hey all! I’m back with another income report to share with you today. I started doing income reports last month, as a way to be more transparent about my online business and hopefully shed some light on ways that you can grow your own business, too.
In most other fields of work, you have the opportunity to “Google” what a typical salary is for that type of career. But if you’re an online entrepreneur? You’re faced with a guessing game. You’re left to wonder how much money you can actually make online, and if you’re like me, you have to spend years figuring out how to do it. So, with these monthly income and traffic reports, I hope to answer some of your questions and nudge your own business or blog in a direction that brings you the most benefits.
So, July. Let’s get to it, shall we?
July Income
- Web Design + Blog Coaching Clients: $3,928.34
- Affiliate Commissions: $4,998.30
- Google Adsense: $198.14
- BlogHer Ads: $101.24
Total Income: $9,226.02
July Expenses
- TNC Contributors: $220
- FB Ads for Launching eCourse: $197
- Independent Contractors: $135
- Credit Card/PayPal Transaction Fees: $108.81
- Screenflow*: $99
- CAOC E-Course Installment Payment: $97
- Mailchimp: $75
- Leadpages: $67
- BoardBooster*: $60.16
- Edgar Social Media Scheduler: $49
- Envato Plugins*: $40
- Freshbooks* Invoicing Software: $29.95
- MyFonts.com: $29
- Facebook Ads: $24.47
- Creative Market* Graphics: $21
- Misc. Business Purchases on Amazon*: $21.16
- GoDaddy.com Domain Registrations: $20.34
- App Sumo (Scrivener): $20
- Google Apps*: $12.50
Total Expenses: $1,326.39 (Anything with an * next to it is an affiliate link)
Net Profit: $7,899.63
As you can see, my income this month declined by about $2,500 compared to last month. It’s also the first month this year that I hit below $10k. Gasp! But I’m not fretting about this because it was actually all planned.
As I mentioned in last month’s income report, I am changing my business model, which is the reason for this decline. Previously, a majority of my income came from working with blog and web design clients. Now, I’m no longer taking one-on-one clients and instead focusing on selling educational products for bloggers and entrepreneurs, such as eCourses and eBooks. So, in July, I stopped taking one-on-one clients, but hadn’t yet come out with a product to sell, meaning I didn’t have a whole lot of money coming in.
Even though my income was less than usual, I was really happy to have a month of less work, as it gave me the perfect foundation to work on and launch my newest eCourse, Pinfinite Growth.
What’s the deal with my high affiliate earnings?
Good question. During the previous month, June, I earned my highest affiliate commission month to date (at about $1,700). So, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that I’d be earning $5,000 in affiliate sales in July. I hate using words like “luck” or “blessings” in reference to business, as it makes it seem like people become successful by sheer chance (meaning, you can’t accomplish the same success unless you’re struck by a magic beam of light). BUT earning that $5k in affiliate sales, during the exact month I was transitioning to an entirely different business model, was the closest thing to “luck” that I could have gotten. It took a lot of the pressure off of me to feel like I needed to accept more clients, especially as I was trying to stop client work altogether.
I actually have some specific suggestions and ideas that I think will help you replicate what I do if you’re interested in earning more from affiliate programs. Coming to a blog post near you soon! 😉
Some awesome tools I added to my arsenal
I’m always on the hunt for new things that will help me run my business more efficiently and enjoyably. I also seem to sign up for a new eCourse almost every month, because I’m a learning addict and eCourses are a lot cheaper (and likely more applicable) than an MBA. 😉 Here are a few tools I’m happy to have found in July:
1. FB Ads for Launching
This eCourse walks you step-by-step into how to create profitable Facebook ads. I haven’t finished it yet, but it’s been really helpful so far. Facebook ads can get real complicated real fast and will not deliver the best results unless you implement some know-how into your ads. The teacher, Farideh, does a great job of breaking things down very simply. I created my first, real ads last week and so far, have gotten 2 conversions (about $350 in sales) for less than $7 spent on ads. This eCourse has literally paid for itself already!
2. LeadPages
I’d heard of sOOoOoo many people who use LeadPages, but didn’t feel like investing in it until I had a solid understanding of how I’d use it. LeadPages has a ton of features and is a very robust program for collecting email addresses and creating sign-up forms and I have really enjoyed it so far. If you’re looking to get more email sign ups, host webinars, etc, then LeadPages is a very solid investment.
3. Screenflow
Screenflow is a video-editing software that also has the ability to record your screen. It’s such a simple feature, but there are SO MANY possibilities for its use. Two things I’ve been using it for recently:
- My eCourse. I create keynote presentations for the modules of my eCourse, then I can use Screenflow to record the presentation while I speak over it. This is the format I’ve seen many other eCourses presented in and I find that it’s a really professional and easy-to-understand format to teach your course.
- To create video walk-throughs for web design clients. Previously, when I was finished creating a website for someone, I’d either email them about how to use specific functions or jump on the phone to explain things. Now, I can just record a video of me literally showing my clients who to update their website, with my voice explaining everything in the background. Then, I just share the private video link with them and they have lifetime tutorials about how to update their site. If you’re a web designer, I highly recommend doing this.
4. Edgar
Edgar is a my new favorite social media scheduling tool. The reason I love it is because it allows you to create a library of social media promotions, which it will cycle through once your most recent promotions have been sent. So, if you create a week’s worth of social media promotions, you don’t have to worry about them simply expiring like with most social media schedulers. They’ll just be added to the back of your library and will go back into rotation later on. It saves me TONS of time and I have seen an increase in engagement and followers since using it.
Traffic Report
My traffic took quite a leap from June to July. Increasing from 72,000 users to 88,000 (+23%) and 159,000 pageviews to 208,000 (+31%). One of the biggest reasons for this is because I have upped my game on Pinterest and it has been paying off. It’s also why my first eCourse, Pinfinite Growth, is devoted to sharing my Pinterest strategy (because it’s something that I know just works).
What I’m doing differently in August
So, like I mentioned last month, I’m not taking on new clients! I’ve loved working with clients — I really have — but one-on-one time was starting to wear on me. It has been SO weird (and honestly, awesome) to look at my email inbox and not see it filled with client requests. I probably get about five times less emails than I did before.
This month (August), I also launched my first-ish eCourse (I say “first-ish” because I led a smaller eCourse almost two years ago), called Pinfinite Growth, which is very new-to-me and exciting. I haven’t “officially” announced it here on the blog yet (tomorrow!), but have mentioned it on social media and to my email list. Things have been going great so far and I’m already looking forward to writing a thorough behind-the-scenes email about exactly what I did during my launch.
Lastly, I’m removing all of the ads from my site. I’m working on a post about why I made that decision, so stay tuned for that! The only problem is that certain ad networks have lengthy contracts, so it’s not quite so easy to just remove them altogether. Soon. 🙂
August 17th, 2015 at 2:42 pm
I think this monthly post will soon be a favorite of mine! Love seeing the progress and and behind the scenes of the Nectar Collective and how you do it 🙂
Since using Edgar, are you using any other social media managing? Do you feel it’s better or there’s no longer a use for others like buffer?
August 18th, 2015 at 10:51 am
hehe yay! I am really enjoying the process of writing these…plus, it helps me keep better track of my finances, which I totally suck at.
As for social media managing, I just use BoardBooster for Pinterest. Edgar can accomplish the same thing as Buffer, just with more features, so you wouldn’t need both. 🙂
August 17th, 2015 at 2:56 pm
Your progress is inspirational! Your site has become my go-to for blogging related questions. Thank you for sharing =)
August 18th, 2015 at 10:52 am
Aw, that is so sweet of you Marina. Thank you so much for saying that. <3
August 17th, 2015 at 3:08 pm
Oh, way to go! So happy for you that you were able to hit a good mark and feel relieved about quitting the client work for good. 🙂
LOVED knowing about Edgar. I’m off to check it right now!
August 18th, 2015 at 10:52 am
Thank you so much, Jackie! Edgar is awesome. I hope you dig it! 🙂
August 17th, 2015 at 3:08 pm
So, so awesome Melyssa! I love reading these posts and I just want to congratulate you on your accomplishments and your courage for trying new things in so many aspects of your business! (And for sharing your lessons with us!) I’m really interested to see your post about blog ads, too! Thanks for all this info!
August 18th, 2015 at 10:52 am
You’re so sweet, Gina. Thank you for saying that. <3
August 17th, 2015 at 4:00 pm
This is AMAZING. I hope someday to be as successful as you are!
August 18th, 2015 at 10:52 am
Aw that’s really kind of you, Christine. Glad you enjoyed this. 🙂
August 17th, 2015 at 4:24 pm
You continue to kill it! Thanks for sharing this with all of us. I know I don’t speak just for myself when I say you give me something to work towards. Some hope too. 🙂 I am STILL debating signing up for Pinfinite Growth. You rock the Pinterest world, and #NectarChat last week was so, so helpful! Grad school budget is the ONLY thing holding me back, but I know your sign-ups will go great regardless!
August 18th, 2015 at 10:54 am
You’re so kind, Amanda! Thank you for your support. 🙂 I’d love to have you in Pinfinite Growth, but totally understand if it’s not in the budget right now (Grad school is pretty important! ;)). I’ll be offering it again, so you’ll have more opportunities to take part. 🙂
August 18th, 2015 at 3:35 pm
I’m so glad to hear you’ll be offering it again. Hopefully I’ll be in a better place financially. Or hopefully I’ll get super lucky and win the giveaway. You’re so great for giving one away!
August 17th, 2015 at 5:51 pm
Melyssa, great job for the month of July! I’m really interested in your upcoming affiliate post. I’m so excited for you and all the newness you have in the works! 🙂
August 18th, 2015 at 10:54 am
Thank you so much, Tenns! <3
August 17th, 2015 at 6:42 pm
I love how you share this and are transparent. I don’t know if it is something that I would be comfortable doing.
August 18th, 2015 at 10:54 am
Ha! Yeah, it took me like a year to muster up the courage, but I’m actually enjoying these posts now. 🙂 Thanks Jessa!
August 17th, 2015 at 6:45 pm
You are a boss Melissa! Keep up the awesome work girl!
August 18th, 2015 at 10:54 am
Thank you Melissa! <3
August 17th, 2015 at 7:02 pm
Woooah, that affiliate part growth is actually amazing! About x3 times in a month! I’ve always been kinda sceptic (still am) about affiliate programs and have been focusing on rate per project basis only. Looking forward to read your affiliates related post, so intrigued. Btw, if I am getting it right, most of your affiliate programs also refer to digital products, is it so?
P.S.: thank you so SO much for recording the webinar and sending the link, I was out of town for the whole weekend and was so upset that I’ve missed it. Now, I’ll unpack my suitcases and will learn something new from you…:)
Oly | TLV Birdie Blog
August 18th, 2015 at 10:56 am
Hi Oly! Thank you. 🙂 Yes, the affiliate programs I’m in are generally for digital products/software.
And YAY! So happy to hear that you’ll be listening to the webinar. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
August 17th, 2015 at 10:09 pm
Nice growth on the affiliate side of things. Good “luck” with the new direction your business is taking 🙂
August 18th, 2015 at 10:56 am
Thanks Andrea! 🙂
August 18th, 2015 at 7:28 am
I absolutely love your transparency in sharing this! It is not only super helpful, but also very inspiring! Thank you and congrats on your success! Do you ever share how many hours a week/month you spend working? I would be interested to know – currently starting and putting in way more than the “typical” hours and hopeful that doesn’t last much longer!
August 18th, 2015 at 10:57 am
Thank you Steph! And no, I never really track it, but I do like the idea of doing that! Maybe I’ll try to track it starting in September. 🙂 I do remember putting in super long hours at first — now, my schedule is a lot more sane. I probably work 6-8 hours per weekday. 🙂
August 18th, 2015 at 9:06 am
So happy to hear your business transition is going well! Change is always scary (for me, at least) so I applaud your optimism and success!
August 18th, 2015 at 10:57 am
Thank you Santana! <3
August 18th, 2015 at 12:41 pm
So excited for you Melyssa!! So happy you got that bump in affiliate sales during this month too! You’ve got this! Can’t wait to see where you go from here!! xo
August 20th, 2015 at 2:32 pm
Thank you Megan! So appreciate your support and connecting with you!<3
August 18th, 2015 at 4:10 pm
I love a good income report! I find them to be very inspiring. Melyssa, you’re really kicking some butt in your business. The amount you made from affiliate commissions alone is outstanding.
Like you, I’ve been hearing so much about LeadPages. I’m just not sure I’m ready to invest in it. Oh, and Edgar sounds amazing. I love the idea of having my promotions cycle through!
Looking forward to reading your upcoming post on why you’re removing ads from your site. I know it’ll be a good read!
August 20th, 2015 at 2:32 pm
Thank you Tiffany! I appreciate that encouragement so much. 🙂
Edgar is pretty life-saving you should check it out! Saves me tons of time. 😀
August 19th, 2015 at 8:51 am
These reports are always so helpful and informative. Thanks so much for sharing!
August 20th, 2015 at 2:32 pm
Yay! Thank you Stacia, I’m really glad to hear that. 🙂
August 19th, 2015 at 11:07 am
Wow, Mel, this is very inspiring and informative. Thanks for the information and inspiration. August is going to be even better!
August 20th, 2015 at 2:33 pm
Thank you Marie! I appreciate that. <3
August 20th, 2015 at 3:10 am
Love this, Melyssa! Thanks so much for sharing. xo!
August 20th, 2015 at 2:33 pm
Thank you for reading, Abby. 🙂
August 22nd, 2015 at 9:06 am
This is amazing! Thanks for the tips xx :p
thesparklenotes.com
August 26th, 2015 at 12:39 pm
You’re so welcome! 🙂
August 26th, 2015 at 3:42 pm
Love all of these tips! Also looking into your course since I’m looking to establish a sound Pinterest strategy. Bravo for changing your business model and moving into a new phase. Thumbs up!
August 26th, 2015 at 4:51 pm
You’re so sweet! Thank you. I’d love to have you in the course, too! 🙂
August 27th, 2015 at 12:25 am
Great information and tips. I am looking forward to finding out why you decided to take down the ads.
September 1st, 2015 at 12:17 pm
Thanks Nikol! 🙂
August 31st, 2015 at 9:03 am
Congrats on the spike in your affiliate commissions! I really need to step my game up with Pinterest. Gonna check out your course now.
September 1st, 2015 at 12:17 pm
Awesome, Vanessa! 🙂
September 1st, 2015 at 4:36 am
What I’m wondering, is how long did it take you to get your traffic at that level? I have been blogging for a few months now and just can’t wait until I can get to that level of views and users! EEK!
xo Annie
Collective Passions
Latest Post: stay healthy & on track on the weekends
September 1st, 2015 at 12:18 pm
I’ve been blogging for about 2.5 years, so it definitely takes time. Just aim for growth — growing beyond where you were a month ago — rather than comparison. 🙂
September 2nd, 2015 at 6:40 am
I totally agree with you! Grow a little bit each month and you will reach your full potential. My blog already grew 50% in one month by increasing my posting and getting more into the community with commenting! 🙂
September 4th, 2015 at 2:04 pm
Bravo, Annie! That is truly amazing.
September 13th, 2015 at 2:02 am
This is so useful! I still feel so baffled by how to make money from my blog and haven’t really started trying, I’m just trying to grow my following and get more well known. It’s such a daunting task though! I’m going to read through all your posts now…
Also I haven’t heard of Edgar, I’ve just been buffering until now. I might go and try Edgar out 🙂
September 13th, 2015 at 10:33 pm
Glad this was useful Amelia. 🙂 And Edgar is awesome!
November 23rd, 2015 at 8:44 am
Ditto the love for Edgar! It’s all we use.
October 27th, 2015 at 9:01 pm
Can you explain more in depth why you’re removing ads? I’m thinking of doing the same thing, but am not set on it yet. I’d love to hear your reasoning!
October 27th, 2015 at 10:33 pm
Yes! I have been meaning to write a post about that, so thank you for the push to get on it. 🙂
January 24th, 2016 at 2:36 pm
Hi Melyssa, just found your Blog and I’m so glad I did! The fact that you use transparency gives a perfect idea of how you work and achieve your goals. Also, of course, your posts’ content is top-notch! Thank you for sharing all of these precious info with us. I’ll be definitely read more 😉
July 8th, 2016 at 11:47 pm
oh really great income,you are doing well.i am a newbie blogger and recently entered blogging.
July 28th, 2016 at 6:40 am
thanks for sharing this,i am started recently my website and i hope i too can make a good income
July 28th, 2016 at 10:19 am
Good luck, Dan! Please keep me posted on your progress 🙂
September 4th, 2016 at 2:26 pm
Thanks for sharing your online income so candidly! Your traffic for the month and income look great. I’m about 9 months into blogging and just recently started to blog traffic/income reports. I’m just wondering, how long did it take before you saw real income coming in? It seems to vary for everyone. Thanks for sharing your results!
October 24th, 2016 at 9:48 pm
Interesting to see you making the switch from active one on one client income to more passive income via courses.
I have a couple of video courses I’ve created on Udemy.
Do you have any thoughts or advice on hosting courses yourself on your blog and via e-mail versus using something like Udemy/Skillshare?
NK // diywptips.com
October 25th, 2016 at 1:07 pm
Hi there! With Udemy/Skillshare, you are limited in terms of your branding, marketing, and how much value you can provide. Because of this, your perceived value goes down and you’ll need to sell your products at a lower price point.
January 25th, 2017 at 1:19 pm
Melyssa, thank you for sharing your income report! It’s really nice to get to know that we all start small. My first goal is to hit $300 monthly income so that I can quit my full time job or at least make it a part time, on my terms. Love my country lol. I have implemented Google AdSense, and couple of affiliate links in my Resources page. My (newest) blog is only few days old and I have made $2.80 with just 2 published blog posts on it! Can’t wait to have a whole day to work on it. After starting and shutting down few niche blogs that I’ve built just for the sake of the money, I feel like I have finally tapped in the space where I can contribute to the World and I enjoy writing my blog posts.
Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Atila
January 25th, 2017 at 3:51 pm
That is so great to hear, Atila! I’m glad you found something that you enjoy working on as that makes it all worth it. Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress! 😀
June 16th, 2017 at 9:16 pm
Very useful, thanks for sharing. Could you please tell me about your first ever income from your blog?
June 19th, 2017 at 5:43 pm
Hi Varun! This is actually one of my first income reports that I started tracking! Prior to that, I was making less than $30,000 a year teaching English in Japan. You can check out my other income reports here: https://www.melyssagriffin.com/topics/income-report/
Thank you for reading! 🙂
October 14th, 2017 at 2:15 pm
I guess I signed up for the wrong thing. I just wanted a MailChimp for dummies. I don’t need to know what it’s going to do for me. Bascially, I want to learn how to create an email and import my email list.
October 16th, 2017 at 8:56 pm
Hi Joan, this post references one of my income reports, so it’s not super geared towards Mailchimp. If you’re looking for some resources about Mailchimp, I have a thorough tutorial located here: https://www.melyssagriffin.com/mailchimp-tutorial/ 🙂
October 16th, 2017 at 9:27 pm
That what I thought I had signed up for. I clicked on courses and signed up. How do I get to them. It keeps asking me to signup
October 16th, 2017 at 9:36 pm
Hi Joan, are you talking about my free resource library? Or did you enroll in one of my courses? If you would like to share in more detail what you signed up for, my team can help you out. hi@thenectarcollective.com 🙂 I’m so sorry for the trouble!
October 16th, 2017 at 9:51 pm
I wanted a tutorial on how to create lists, emails, templates, add pictures, etc in MailChimp. I am not trying to increase our email base or sell anything. I just need to communicate with 700 members without my emails being blocked because I have gone over their quota. Your courses do not seem to deal with what I want. Even if you did have what I need we are a non profit and are not willing to pay to learn how to create an email in MailChimp. Thanks
October 20th, 2017 at 8:16 am
Thank you for being specific & actually giving real information. I’ve been a fan of you or awhile now. I find that so many times the income reports that people post really don’t explain much & for those of us starting out beyond something to aspire to we almost wonder if that really is even possible. Great article, great list of resources… 🙂
October 20th, 2017 at 3:57 pm
I appreciate hearing that, thank you for your kind words! I have other income reports posted here, if you’d like to see how my growth has evolved: https://www.melyssagriffin.com/topics/income-report/
November 3rd, 2017 at 6:58 am
Sorry Melyssa, how long ago was this?