Business Models

The first “online” money I ever made

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I still remember when I received my first $1 (it was actually $5) from a donation I received on a free Gumroad product.

Oh how happy and excited I was. Truly I can’t even begin to explain it.

While a single dollar might seem insignificant, the meaning is tremendously powerful. It’s the sign of possibility. The sign of my first victory. The sign of a future.

“If I can make $1, I can make $1,000,000,” I said to myself.

And while I’m nowhere close to making a million dollars. That’s still a belief I hold. Something only made possible thanks to the unlimited amount of leverage the internet gives you—digital leverage.

I’ve also been writing emails for about 2 years now. And it still amazes me time and time again how powerful of a tool this is. Sending out an email and getting paid a nice $100 for more or less 15 minutes of work is always a wonderful feeling. Not to mention the long-term value of building a customer list and a collection of sellable (and scalable) products.

Imagine what the future would look like if you had 5x the list/audience size and double the number of products and value to offer—which are extremely conservative estimations.

Then imagine new launches, promotions, upsells, crossells, all very much repeatable and easily scalable without breaking a sweat.

Yeah.

Long story short: I truly can’t think of a better business model designed and optimized for longevity, autonomy, and freedom.

So my best piece of advice? Start building your email list.

And if you want to learn more about how to send simple emails that get you paid and keep your readers reading day after day, then click here right now: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla


I freed myself from using social media to grow my business

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Here’s how I did it:

The first thing I did was create and host my very own WordPress site on which I could publish all of my emails online.

Combine this with learning some SEO basics (a whole lot less than you might think) to get visitors to my page and teasing Email Valhalla course on sign-up… and you’ve already got a semi-passively (I still have to write the emails after all) functioning business right there.

Not only that, but I’ll keep earning based on past emails I’ve written—emails that will only grow in numbers and get better in quality the more I write.

To me there’s truly no better business model out there.

Find me another business where you can earn a living by writing whenever you want, from wherever you want, all the while helping people accomplish their own dreams, getting thank-you emails on the regular, and, last but not least, doing all of this without an income ceiling limited by any one resource such as time, distribution, money, or costs.

I’m not saying other business are bad (they’re not), or people doing things differently are stupid (they aren’t).

Just saying that’s not the way I like to run things.

I like to keep it simple, efficient, and with a freedom-first aspect.

Anyway.

If you’re only using social media to grow your business, you’re seriously missing out.

Go get your online real estate up and running.

And if you’re not even building your own email list yet, what are you waiting for?

Check out Email Valhalla today and get started right away: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla


Numbers? Never heard of her

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I know many people who live and die by their numbers.

Every offer they make, every email they write, every decision they make is all backed up by market research, customer surveys, focus groups, testing groups, and everything else you can think of.

I’m not saying it doesn’t work.

It does. In fact, it might even be the best thing to do. It might even be the most profitable (especially in the short run).

But it’s not how I roll.

For one thing, you become a slave of the market, always chasing where the demand goes—always testing, always iterating, always dependent on the whims of your customers.

You’re essentially choosing to be the one who chases instead of the one who is being chased.

You’ll never truly lead your market (which is a whole discussion on its own).

But more.

You’ll never truly have the freedom to do exactly what you want, when you want, and for how long you want it.

You don’t build a business that survives—even thrives—for years, decades, even generations, by being the one who chases.

Still more.

I doubt anyone who does business this way can ever feel truly fulfilled—which is one of the main reasons I don’t do data.

Everything I do, everything I create, everything I sell is stuff I think is cool (and helps my customers, important not to overlook this part). It’s stuff I’d do regardless of whether I get paid for it or not (the only difference is that I can do a lot more of it when I do get paid).

So here’s something important for you to consider.

If you’re a data person. And you’d like to optimize everything you do for maximum profitability. And you’re prone to chasing whatever the market wants (i.e., you saw AI is “the next new thing” and jumped on the bandwagon, until the hype dies down and you’ll jump to something like VR when it’s “the next new thing”).

Then it’s probably not doing you any good to listen to anything I have to say. Let alone try to implement what I do for your own.

Our businesses (and business philosophies) function differently.

Which isn’t a bad thing. But it’s something to consider.

That said.

If you do share the same philosophy to business. If you aim to build something that’s truly yours, do the leading instead of the chasing, think long term, and stick to whatever you think is cool regardless of what others say.

Then you should check out Product Creation Made Easy.

It’s my entire product creation framework where I show you how to create products you think are cool and stuff you want to create—while still making sure it’s something people would want—all the way from ideation to having a profitable launch and beyond (i.e., to keep getting sales months and even years after the initial launch).

Here’s the link for more information: https://alexvandromme.com/product


How to effectively monetize an email list—the right way

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It only takes you one Google Search to be bombarded with dozens of articles, blogs, videos, courses, podcasts, interviews, or social media posts telling you how to monetize an email list.

More.

90% of those (if not more) will tell you to get as many people as you can onto your list (or newsletter as they’re most likely referring to), disregarding the quality of the readers you’re inviting to be on your list and then to continuously run ads or accept sponsorships.

And while this isn’t a bad business model per se—especially not for people who just like to write long articles and not have to worry about anything else—it’s far from the most effective, reliable, or even the simplest method there is.

Again, I’m not saying that type of model is bad.

It’s just not for me.

I would much rather build a small but extremely focused and high-quality (quality over quantity here) email list filled with readers eager to read what I write and buy what I offer them.

The only downside to this type of business model?

You need something of your own to sell your readers. But seeing as you’re on my list, chances are you’ve got that covered already (or will have soon enough).

In this case, many of the so-called “list-building hacks” other people can’t shut up about don’t actually work for us. Running paid ads to your (free) email opt-in won’t do you any good. Neither will social media giveaways where you ask for people’s email addresses in exchange for some random freebie they’ll receive—most, if not all, of the social media game will actively work against you since that’s very much a quantity over quality type of medium.

You might have noticed that all the above methods I mentioned share one common theme.

They all focus on getting people on your list by promising them FREE (!) stuff.

Unfortunately, the people you’ll attract this way are the same type of people who’ll get angry at you for trying to sell them something—even if it’s a $5 product that might literally change their lives forever.

These types of people won’t help you run a business—which is what you’re trying to do after all.

A better way is to pre-qualify and pre-sell people as soon as they enter your world through one of the many portals you’ve scattered around the internet (I’ll dive deeper into this specific topic of “building your world and opening portals” in other emails—as well as in an upcoming course all about business worldbuilding).

That means, to immediately let them know you plan on selling them something.

Don’t hide this fact. It’s not only stupid, crooked, and absolutely visible to everyone with half an eye sticking out their ass. It’s also the smartest thing you could do. Doing so sets the stage for the future and it repels any and all cheapskates who won’t ever buy anything from you anyway.

This doesn’t mean you HAVE to sell them something straight away… but a simple tripwire (before or after joining your list) or one-time offer when they subscribe to your list (even if they choose not to buy) goes a long way.

I’ll go deeper into how to grow an email list in my flagship course, Email Valhalla, which teaches you everything you need to know to run your own email-centered business as a creative, including how to write simple and effective daily emails that get you paid and keep your readers reading day after day.

Click here for more information about Email Valhalla: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla


A prediction about the future of subscription-based business models

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Everything is slowly turning into a subscription model.

From your daily entertainment to your groceries, the clothes you wear, the books you read, the music you listen to, the hobbies you practice, the perfumes and fragrances you use, the cars you drive (if that market won’t completely turn into a subscription-based Uber-like “get driven by autonomous vehicles" service eventually), the traveling you might want to do, hell, chances are even the phones you’ll buy and every other gadget or consumable you can think of will become subscription based.

It might not be this year.

It might not even be next year.

But I promise you, everything will and shall turn into a subscription model—even the things you couldn’t believe were possible.

So what should you do when it comes to subscriptions?

Should you follow? Should you be different for the sake of it?

Well, that’s not something I can answer for you. As with anything, it depends. I don’t know what you do, what you sell, who you sell it to, how much you’re charging for it, how much it costs you to sell it, how easy it is to deliver, how often people use it, how many people want it, and a lot more other vital pieces of information you’d need to make a decision like this (anyone telling you there’s a one-size-fits-all answer is trying to sell you horsecrap).

What I do know is that a lot more people are trying to jump into the subscription business (as will I eventually, not going to hide it).

And with that there’s also many people who are making the big mistake (unless they’re already a big industry name, then they can do whatever they want) of trying to sell the continuity as the first thing the customer sees.

In case you didn’t know, it’s a difficult sell to get someone to hand you money ever single month.

A better way to do things?

Sell something low-ticket first (alongside selling yourself). Build up trust. Show them you know your stuff. Help them get a feeling of satisfaction.

Only after that, offer them a subscription to get more of the same (with more convenience and/or a better price) or offer them more (and better/more in-depth) complimentary stuff.

Something to think about and take into consideration.

Anyway.

If you’d like to learn how to sell, whether it’s a continuity or not, and more specifically, learn to sell it through email, then check out Email Valhalla where I share all the tips, tricks, deets, and secret sauce.

Click here to learn more: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla


The final form of every enjoyable, simple, and freedom-focused business

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Yesterday I promoted my clarity/consulting calls.

At first, I was hesitant to do this—which is ironic because that’s how I first got started building this business, as a consultant.

The thing is, I’ve since grown.

I adapted my business to better suit my needs, likes, and wants, while keeping it valuable, interesting, and (where possible) optimal for you and everyone else who benefits from my products and services.

During that process, I’ve come to learn a couple of things.

One of those being: I don’t enjoy building a consulting business. I do offer such calls once in a while, but I never (not anymore at least) take on long-term clients, let alone advertise a long-term coaching program.

Those don’t do it for me.

They’re a massive time-suck, they limit your ceiling, and lastly, but not least importantly, I don’t enjoy doing them—which is one of the main business pillars I base every decision on.

I’ve come to learn that productizing your business, aka turning your knowledge, experience, and everything service-related you provided into products, especially digital ones you can reproduce and sell infinitely without any time or resource investments.

You build it once and sell it twice so to say.

This is the true way to scale your business, alongside your freedom (and your enjoyment as well if you keep it simple, which is always the most optimal way to function).

I made ok money back when I focused on consulting.

But it wasn’t until I focused all of my efforts on building my email list and productizing my experience that everything truly started to pick up pace and I was finally heading in the right direction.

Now, I’m not saying to do a full 180 and turn your coaching business, your agency, your freelance service business, or whatever you have into a 100% productized business.

But it’s definitely something you might consider to slowly start doing.

None of this happens overnight.

All that’s to say.

There’s no arguing that taking this approach, productizing your service-based business, is the optimal long-term move, and you’ll ultimately be very glad you made that choice.

And if you’d like to get started ideating, building, and profitably launching digital products in a way that makes it effortless, efficient, easy, and faster than anything you’ve ever seen.

Then definitely check out Product Creation Made Easy.

Click here to read more about it: https://alexvandromme.com/pcme


Complexity is overrated

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Complexity seems to be “in” right now, unfortunately.

And it makes no sense at all.

Everywhere you look, you’ll see some new social media influencer praising his new 50-step funnel, his 30 different opt-in pages, with 15 different lead magnets, for which he’s using 100 different ads, each meticulously being tracked to determine the optimal copy, creative, targeting settings, and every other option you could ever imagine.

The irony is that the same influencer, in reality, has no idea what they’re doing, is putting in hundreds of hours to get this all to work, and might only be getting a 5% increase in total revenue for his effort (if he’s even getting an increase in revenue at all).

See, both in live and in business, it’s always the simple solutions that perform best.

I’m obviously biased when I say this.

But I’ve never seen it not be the case, where a simple solution not only allows someone to 1) free up more time to work on more important things or not have to work at all, and instead spend their time doing the things they love most in life 2) understand how everything functions a lot better and a lot clearer, making it not only much easier to make their solutions perform better but almost guaranteeing the success of the effort they put in and 3) if they happen to work with clients, they’ll undoubtedly get better results because of how easy and simple it is to both explain their frameworks and implement the framework in the client’s business.

While complexity looks cooler and might attract newbies and shiny object addicts…It’s the simple solutions that attract the best customers, get the most optimal results, and make for a more enjoyable experience.

See, I have three main business pillars: simplicity, freedom, and enjoyment. If something doesn’t align with one of those pillars, I don’t do it.

And that should tell you a lot about my business models.

Anyway.

If you’d like to see for yourself how to thrive with a simple email business, then check out Email Valhalla here: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla


In what business are you?

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George Lucas decided to do the next Star Wars his way after the initial success of Episode IV: A New Hope (then simply titled “Star Wars”) in 1977.

This meant being in control of as much as possible: filming, editing, merchandizing, sequel rights, and even the funding itself—which he could now do with the profits from the first movie.

He wanted to control pretty much everything except for the distribution.

For that he still had to work together with a bigger studio—something he always despised.

Standard studio negotiations would almost always be in favor of the studio. Giving them as much as 50% to 80% of the profits.

But not this time.

The fact that 1) George Lucas already secured his own funding with his prior profits as collateral for a loan and 2) pretty much every big studio wanted to get their hands on the next Star Wars release meant that the negotiation would look a lot different than studios were used to.

Ultimately Lucas decided to work together with 20th Century Fox, giving them only a 22.5% share of the profits in return for handling the distribution (and putting the Fox logo before the opening credits).

In a later quote, Steven Spielberg said:

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“If you’re an executive, suddenly you realize that if you’re going into business with George Lucas, you are no longer in the 20th Century-Fox business, you are in the George Lucas business.”

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Read that quote again.

Take it in. Then pause and think about it.

Try to truly understand the implications.

Because if you understand what’s going on here. Which forces are at play. And if you do everything in your power to build your business in a similar manner—to create your own business universe in a way.

Then I can guarantee this will be one of the most profitable lessons you’ll ever learn.

Don’t think of yourself as being in the “personal-branding”, “copywriting”, “life-coaching”, “web-design”, or even the “marketing” business.

You’re in the you-business.

Just as I and everyone who works with me is in the Alex Van Dromme business.

This is why there was no competing with Star Wars back in the day.

They weren’t in the movie business, nor were they in the fantasy or science-fiction business.

They were in the George Lucas business.

And one of the fastest and easiest ways I know to start building your own business universe is to build your own unique, world-driven, and valuable (and profitable) collection of (digital) products and services that you and you alone could offer.

I urge you to try this—I even dare you to try and not be successful after thinking this through and building your own business universe step by step.

Anyway.

If you want to learn how to get started building your collection of products.

Then click the link here: https://alexvandromme.com/pcme/