If you know me or followed me for even a day, you know that I’m a man of many interests. I’m obsessed with good music, curious about leadership principles, always looking for productivity methods, and passionate about design. This is how I function. A man of many passions. The dude with mad pursuits. While all these topics fit within me, they don’t work for all you, my audience, who are here for different reasons. I hear you and I have a solution. I’m going to launch a couple of products based on the topics I’ve blogged about. I’ll then create a blog for each product category. You, my audience, can hone in on whichever category interests you the most. On top of all this, I’m going to document and email my progress, process, and outcomes to those of you who want to see the full picture. If this sounds crazy, it is, but allow me to explain.
My Problems
I started rey3l.com about a year and a half ago because I wanted to get back into writing blogs. I wanted to learn more about the topics I’m interested in and apply them to my life. I wanted to share my findings with others. I hoped this would lead to personal growth, increased following, and… some money. But, there were a few problems with this plan.
Mastery
It takes a long time to internalize what you’ve learned. I can read a book and summarize it in a blog, but living with the ideas and putting them into practice takes a lot of trial and error. Writing about a process I haven’t mastered yet is uncomfortable.
Consistency
Anyone who writes for a living will tell you that one critical element is consistency. I had an inconsistent writing schedule which stemmed from not being a master of the subject I was writing. I felt the need to wait for mastery before writing about a topic. And not writing led to not posting, which led to inconsistent blog updates. Sh*t.
Monetization
How can I prove to my wife and daughter that rey3l.com is worth the time I’m not spending with them? A sense of mastery isn’t meaningful when the baby is crying and mom needs a well-deserved break. Selfishly, I’d sometimes shut the door, turn up the headphones, and carry on to you, for example, about how to effectively use a to-do list.
I didn’t have a solid strategy for monetizing my blog. It wasn’t a primary goal but, I realize now, monetization would help justify the amount of time I spend writing.
The New Approach: Launching Products
Instead of blogging about my interests and hoping for the best, I’m going to launch four specific products and create separate blogs foreach category. If you want, you can hone in on whichever category interests you the most.
What I hope to get out of this new approach is
- Monetization of my efforts
- Blogging consistency driven by product promotion and potential income
- A shift of focus from being a master to providing the most value
You can follow along
For a few of you crazy people, I’m going to document and email my progress, process, and outcomes so you can see the full picture. If you have aspirations to launch one or several microbusinesses, this behind-the-scenes look is worthwhile. If you’re curious about the process, this might also be for you. I’m going to give these followers an up-close view of the process a microbusiness owner takes to build and launch four products in one year. You can learn from my mistakes and level up faster. This behind-the-scenes access will only be available to paid subscribers as a private newsletter. If you’re interested in going on this crazy ride with me click here for more details.