My life has taken a few strange turns. I started a business in 2006 which changed my world. My marriage failed in 2012 and I left the UK for Thailand in 2014. More changes – as David Bowie would say, "Turn and face the strange".
If you don't know who David Bowie is, leave this site immediately, and listen to his music – don't come back for a while.
Things are getting stranger – both in my business and in my life. I'll definitely look back on 2017 as one of the weirdest ever.
Remember, 12 years ago I was going to work every morning on London underground trains thinking I would be doing that forever. 6 years ago I was walking my dog in a suburban park every day thinking I'd be doing that forever.
I embraced that change. I wanted it. I guess that means there'll be more change.
Personally speaking...
In 2017, I tried to spend as much time in Thailand as possible. When I'm in Chiang Mai, I tend to exercise more, meditate more, and work harder – or should I say, I just get more done.
There's time for work and time for play. That's the way I like it.
I apologise for the rude sign I'm making in this photo. I joking with my friend who has a drone.
In business things can change soooo fast
The one thing I can be certain of in my business is change. A few years ago, my business was almost wholly web and graphic design jobs for clients. Now I derive income from a multitude of sources: from selling online courses to selling t-shirts, from book royalties to affiliate commissions from this site, etc.
I love that things can change so fast. It's stops us getting bored. And more change is to come in 2018 – big time!
I love that most of my targets and goals from this time last year were overlooked and missed.
For example, 2017 was meant to be my year for Amazon FBA. It turned out 2017 was the year I admitted my Amazon FBA journey was a complete failure. On the other hand, Merch by Amazon wasn't even on my radar this time last year and now it's the most successful new business venture of the year. More on that later.
The money comes from where you least expect it, and doesn't come when you think it will.
Selling video courses
This is the part of my business that makes me most money – passive income at least. I have a solid audience on Udemy (c. 80,000) and on my email list (c. 13,500) and this makes me a reasonable passive income each month.
At the beginning of this year, after my site was hacked, I started using Teachable to sell courses from my own site. The result is I've sold more courses than ever before. Indeed, in the month of November, I made more on my site than I did on Udemy and that's a big win.
Thank you, Teachable.
Here are the courses I published this year:
- WordPress Security: Secure & Lock Down Your Site Against Hackers!
- The Complete Steemit Course: Earn Cryptocurrency For Free
- Merch by Amazon: An Introduction to Selling Print On Demand T-Shirts
- Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator for Merch By Amazon and Print On Demand
Selling books
This time last year I was saying how publishing a new book, The New Freedom: Ordinary People Are Living Extraordinary Lives & So Can You!, had re-kindled (pun intended) my love for self publishing. So, what happened in 2017?Nothing.
I realised selling books involves a lot of work and not a lot of profit. I'd still recommend it. But I decided to take a step back from writing after self-publishing eight books.
Selling t-shirts
I always wanted to run a business that was separate from my brand. Yeah, it's great to have a website which is my name dot com and sell courses and books on it. But I envy those guys who are in the background.
And you can flip (sell) successful businesses that aren't connected with your name.
So that was why I started my Amazon FBA business which, so far, has been an abject failure. But, this year, largely thanks to Lisa Irby, I discovered Merch by Amazon and the Print on Demand merchandizing business.
Upload a design, sell a t-shirt with the design on it, and earn the royalty. You don't have to get your hands dirty creating the actual t-shirts, delivering them, handling customers, etc. I never spend more than an hour a day on it. It's a beautiful business!
During the year I set myself a goal of making over $1000 on Merch in the month of December. Did I do it? I think so. But, Christmas on Amazon is just crazy, you make more than the previous three months.
Anyway, it's great fun and I'll be looking to scale this business in 2018.
Have a look at my Merch courses:
- Merch by Amazon: An Introduction to Selling Print On Demand T-Shirts
- Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator for Merch By Amazon and Print On Demand
Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and investing
It would be wrong to write a review of 2017 in all its weirdness and not mention cryptocurrencies.I bought 0.204 of a bitcoin in September 2016 for $123.27. Just twelve months later, that 0.204 of a bitcoin was worth over $800. At the time of writing, it's over $3000. I couldn't miss this opportunity. I invested more in 2017.
Getting involved in cryptocurrencies has been both exhilarating and petrifying at the same time. It's strange, weird, and addictive.
I do think crypto will change my life for the better. I go to many, many crypto meetups in Chiang Mai and I've met some great people.
Unfortunately, I find the crypto-community online a little toxic. I will write a little more in this subject later.
Anyway, I hope crypto will have a positive effect on the world, as much as I think it's had a positive effect on me.
Looking forward
The most important asset I have in my business ... is you! Yes, you read that right.
I'm always deeply grateful for the people who read my articles, buy my books, watch my videos, sign up to my email lists, and take my courses.
Thank you, really.
You are the best thing about the last year and you'll be the best thing about the next year. And I love getting emails like this.
I wish you greater love, health, and happiness for 2018.
Peace!