Most people think that to build a successful online business, you need to either create the next Netflix or build a business with hundreds of employees or a massive following on social media. However, I think most of us are not trying to make billions of dollars, we just want to make an extra income from a simple business and potentially grow it into a full-time income that can support our lives. This way, we can one day be free to do the things we love without always worrying about money.
Many of us can relate to a guy named Oi Ming, who makes $240,000 a year by offering a simple service on his website called RoastMyLandingPage.com. This catchy name represents his service, which is to roast other people’s landing pages to help increase their conversions. He charges $350 per roast and provides a 15-minute video review of the landing page, offering suggestions on how to improve it to increase conversions and sales. For $350 for a 15-minute recording, he makes $20,000 a month doing this, and he is the only person running this business.
You don’t have to create the next Uber or build a startup that is valued in the millions but loses money every month. For example, WeWork was once valued at $47 billion, but look where it is today. This guy, Oi Ming, makes real cash flow with real people paying him real money. I can definitely relate to that. Because he is so successful with this, he created a SaaS product, a plugin for collecting testimonials called SJA. This is a smart move because he can promote this plugin to the same audience, and he recently announced that the app is generating $33,000 a month. Including the roasting service, he makes a total of $50,000 a month.
Let’s go back to the roasting service, as this is the main focus. It’s not actually a new idea, but his approach is brilliant. Many people offer similar services, usually selling it as “I will design your landing page for X amount of dollars.” It becomes a website design service, which many people can do. However, he pitched himself as a conversion expert, targeting those who already have a landing page. He’s reviewing existing landing pages and suggesting improvements without making the changes himself. After the review, he upsells other services like landing page designs. He’s confident in his service and offers a money-back guarantee if the conversion rate doesn’t increase, making it a win-win for both sides.
This concept can be applied to other services as well, like thumbnail design for YouTube, where you can measure the CTR on thumbnails. If the CTR doesn’t improve, you don’t get paid, making it a win-win situation. Other examples include video editing for shorts or long-form videos, copywriting for newsletters or blogs, and ghostwriting for Twitter or LinkedIn. Any service where you can do an A/B comparison could potentially work.
The purpose of this article is not to copy the guy but to take the winning elements and important principles of his business and apply them to your own. To build a successful business, you need to follow three important steps which I’ll share with you today.
1. Indentify a Specific Niche
The first step to any successful business is to target a specific niche. Many people go viral for random videos on TikTok or Instagram but struggle to monetize because their audience has diverse interests. Instead, focus on something specific, like helping creators grow on YouTube or turning more visitors into customers. By being specific, you become the go-to person for that one problem, attracting a loyal audience.
The misconception is that you need hundreds of thousands of followers to make money, but followers do not equal revenue. Oi Ming, for example, has 1,200 YouTube subscribers and 18,000 Twitter followers but makes $240,000 a year because he speaks to a small, focused audience. This concept is similar to the idea of “1,000 true fans” coined by Kevin Kelly, which states that you only need 1,000 true fans willing to spend $100 a year to make $100,000 a year.
2. Build a Digital Presence
Once you have your big idea, the next step is to build a simple landing page to showcase what you do and why customers should choose you. It doesn’t have to be complicated, what matters is the content. If you don’t know how to code or design, you can use Systeme.io, a powerful website builder that allows you to create a landing page in minutes.
Here’s a valuable tip: before choosing a platform or tool, Google its traffic and reviews. Higher traffic means more users, and better reviews indicate higher quality.
Click here to see Systeme.io Reviews on Trustpilot
Create an account and launch your own landing page for free.
It offers a free plan with a basic bundle of features which are sufficient for your newly started business.
- 3 funnels / landing pages
- 2,000 contacts
- 1 community
- 1 blog
- 1 course
Create a landing page or blog, you will have a unique domain name like abc.systeme.io, or you can register your own domain and point it to the platform. This way, you can save on cloud hosting costs and avoid the hassle of building a website.
After login, click “Funnels” to “Create” and get started. Enter the name of funnel, like graphic design for YouTube thumbnails or any other things what you specialize in, and select your funnel goal – Sell / Sell a product or a service. Then, Save and go back to funnels list. Click the funnel title(name), your funnel is ready with all sections built out. You can modify sections, select templates, and change any section with one click. You can also add steps to create a complete purchase order process.
Additionally, you can also create a powerful blog using a similar method. Click “Blogs” to create it.
After setting up your landing page or blog, the next step is to register a domain. Here, we’d like to recommend Hostinger.com.
Click “Settings” – “Custom domains” to add your domain.
This way, your designed landing page or blog can be accessed through your own domain, making it easier to promote your business.
3. Get Attention
The third step is to start getting attention. There are two ways to do this: communities and social profiles. Join Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, or Reddit threads where your customers are. Share helpful contents and strategies to build trust.
Avoid promoting yourself too much, focus on giving value.
While posting in communities, also post on your social profiles. Choose a platform that suits your service. Use the “build-in-public” strategy, sharing the behind-the-scenes of building your product, including wins, struggles, and learnings. This strategy helps you gain exposure and valuable feedback.
To recap, the three steps are to identify a specific problem, build a digital presence, and get attention. You don’t need a massive following to make money. With these steps, you can make a significant income even with a small audience.
Remember, consistency and persistence are the key. Keep refining your approach based on feedback and stay focused on delivering value to your audience.
Best of luck on your journey to online success!