Welcome to the July business income report, where I share how I earned money online last month. Below is a clear update on my earnings, what I worked on, and business highlights for July.
If you are new to Making Sense of Cents, you may wonder why I publish monthly income reports. If you’re returning, you already know the benefits of these posts.
This originally began as my extra income report, documenting the money I earned from side jobs while still at my day job. I included all income from side hustles but excluded regular employment income. I left my full-time position as a financial analyst in October 2013, and since then my monthly reports reflect the multiple ways I now earn a living.
Many people ask why I publish my income publicly. Some think it’s unusual, while others appreciate the transparency. I share these reports for three main reasons:
- To inspire others. Before I started blogging, I knew little about side hustles and making money online. If it weren’t for other bloggers publishing income reports, I may never have tried side hustling. I publish my results to show the potential of side income and motivate readers to improve their financial situations.
- To track progress. These reports act like a journal. Publishing my numbers forces me to review results, identify mistakes, and spot areas for improvement.
- To show that making money from home is real. There are many legitimate online income streams. I also collect and share examples of other bloggers who publish their income so readers can learn from their journeys.
Life has improved dramatically since I became my own boss and began blogging full-time. I look forward to each day and genuinely enjoy waking up to work I love. Publishing these monthly reports helps demonstrate that you don’t have to dislike your job or life—small changes can lead to a more enjoyable, flexible lifestyle that supports the things you value outside of work.
How was business income in July?
I earned $110,897.33 blogging and online in July, before expenses.
Seasonal trends and reader behavior usually cause income to dip over summer, and that partly explains the lower total compared to some months. Last summer I launched a product that increased revenue; I haven’t released a new product since, so I expect income to pick back up starting in August and continue rising over the next several months.
July was a strong month for the business. I’ve been working under 10 hours a week, and I brought on a virtual assistant in July. Having a VA handle many morning tasks has improved work satisfaction and efficiency.
The business is running smoothly with minimal daily input from me. The upfront work I put in continues to generate returns, giving me more time for other priorities.
One major focus recently has been improving my work-life balance, and I’m seeing real progress. I feel more efficient and less overwhelmed while staying productive.
July marked my seventh consecutive month earning over $100,000. Looking back, I started from zero and built this income through consistent effort. If you’re aiming for $100, $1,000, or more, know that progress starts small and grows with dedication.
This strong month, even with minimal hours, resulted from several strategic efforts:
- Diversifying income streams. I launched my first for-sale product, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing, which broadened my revenue mix. Today my income includes affiliate marketing, course sales, sponsorships, and advertising. I’m also diversifying within affiliate programs so no single partner dominates my earnings.
- Focusing on my email list. I began taking email seriously after switching to ConvertKit in April. ConvertKit made email marketing much more manageable and effective. I now have around 60,000 subscribers. Building an email list sooner would have helped earlier, so if you don’t have one, start now.
- Growing my Facebook presence. I invested in Facebook strategies and grew the page significantly over the last year. A larger Facebook audience has helped drive traffic, grow my email list, and increase income.
All in all, July was excellent across blogging, courses, and personal life. I’ve been frequently saying, “Life is really good,” because I truly mean it. My business is growing, income is increasing, and I have exciting plans for the coming months.
My Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course continues to perform well, with many new students joining last month and sharing strong results and testimonials. I regularly receive feedback about students seeing real income growth after applying the course strategies.
If you’re interested in starting a blog, I created a step-by-step tutorial to help you start a blog affordably. Being self-hosted is critical for monetization, and switching to self-hosted WordPress was a turning point for my income growth.
Breakout of July income – $110,897.33
Below is a breakdown of July’s income by category:
- Affiliate income – $56,202.33 total
- Bluehost – $32,760.00
- Survey companies – $8,382.25
- Amazon FBA-related content – $1,676.05
- Bookkeeper Business Academy – $1,155.50
- Ebates (estimated) – $1,000.00
- Teachable – $695.70
- Student loan refinancing – $450.00
- ConvertKit – $386.18
- Izea/SponsoredTweets – $262.14
- Facebook ebook – $234.00
- Freelance writing course – $224.40
- $5 Meal Plan – $223.50
- MediaNet – $170.72
- MaxBounty – $151.89
- Uber – $80.00
- Ibotta – $80.00
- Miscellaneous affiliates – $8,270.00 (includes private affiliate launches and smaller affiliate earnings)
- Sponsorships and advertising – $10,600.00
- Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course – $41,770.00
- Display advertising – $2,325.00
Total: $110,897.33
The figures above are gross income for July before fees and expenses. Typical monthly fees and expenses—virtual assistants, Teachable platform fees, technical support, newsletter costs, PayPal/Stripe fees, and other operational costs—total around $4,000 (rounded). Affiliate payouts for course promotion totaled $6,312.80. After these expenses, I made approximately $100,584.53. These amounts do not include taxes, which I pay as a self-employed business owner.
Remember, I cover taxes, health insurance, and other benefits myself, which significantly affect net income compared to traditional employment.
If you want to learn more about monetizing a blog, check out The Ultimate Guide to Making Money Blogging for strategies and ideas.
I publish monthly income reports regularly. Some past reports and milestones include early side income totals, the month I left my job, and annual summaries of earnings and lessons learned.
Comparisons and annual business income total
- Total income in July: $110,897
- Total income in June: $121,861
- Difference from the previous month: -10,964
- Total this year: $914,610
Blog news
Making Sense of Cents is doing well, and the summer slowdown in traffic and income is normal. If you’re experiencing similar seasonal dips, stay focused on providing high-quality content and engagement.
This month I worked with a Facebook ads coach and already see improved ad performance. I plan to hire this coach to manage ads in the near future and am exploring a training session to share these strategies with readers.
August marks six years since I started the blog as a hobby. It’s remarkable how much can change in a few years with consistency and focus.
Traffic in July was around 400,000 page views.
Recent business and blog updates:
- My sister joined as a virtual assistant in July and has been handling tasks like adding Pinterest images to older posts, managing Facebook groups, scheduling social posts, and more. This frees up my time for product development and strategy.
- I am considering group coaching as a way to help more people while managing my time effectively. Group coaching allows more access for readers and creates a supportive community.
- I launched a community Facebook group for readers to ask questions and share advice on finance, blogging, travel, and business. The group has quickly grown to over 6,000 members.
- I started a new interview series featuring people doing extraordinary things—retirees who achieved early financial independence, travel blogging families, debt payoff stories, van-living entrepreneurs, and more.
- I released a free “How to Start a Blog” email course that has attracted over 27,000 sign-ups. I also launched a free “Master Your Money” email course focused on budgeting and money management, and I plan a third free course soon.
Popular new posts on Making Sense of Cents last month:
- What To Do When Your Partner Is Horrible With Money
- 5 Ways I Made My Blog Go Viral – 2,000,000 Views A Month In One Year!
- How This Family Moved To The “Hood” and Paid Off $120,000 in Debt
- Should You Get Your MBA If You Want To Start Your Own Business?
- 9 Ways to Live an Extraordinary Life
- How This Family of 6 Lives On $53,000 a Year (with $22,000 going to student loans)
- My Search For A Better Work-Life Balance
Featured Question: Do you mind sharing a detailed list of what processes you have with new blog posts?
I answer one reader question in each monthly report. Please leave a comment if you have a question I can address next month.
Each article on Making Sense of Cents follows a well-defined process. Over time it has become routine, and most tasks besides writing are handled by virtual assistants. Here’s the typical workflow for a new post:
- Generate topic ideas. I keep a list of over 100 possible topics on my laptop and phone, inspired by life events, reader questions, and interesting statistics or research I encounter.
- Create a monthly content schedule, ensuring a mix of topics like making money, saving, and personal development so readers get varied content each week.
- Write the draft. I prefer to write an article in one sitting when possible, then hand it to my editor who polishes the content and improves flow. The income report is the one exception I usually edit myself.
- Add images and format the post with Pinterest and Facebook images and links to related content.
- Publish and promote. After publishing, I share the post across Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and other platforms and schedule future promotional posts.
- Send an email to subscribers announcing the new post.
I follow the same process for guest posts and actively promote them, since sharing drives traffic and helps the host site as well.
Past featured questions have covered topics like increasing affiliate income, whether you need massive page views to make money, how to sell websites, and the value of email lists.
My plans for the blog and business
Clear goals keep me focused. Current priorities include:
- Earn $1,750,000 from the business this year. I adjusted my annual target after reviewing recent results. This goal balances growth with maintaining a healthier work-life balance.
- Improve work-life balance. This remains a top priority. Progress has been good, but I’ll continue refining systems and delegation.
- Be three months ahead on content. I’m currently two months ahead and aim to be three months ahead to reduce pressure and allow more strategic work.
- Grow traffic to 1,000,000 monthly page views. I want to reach more readers and increase engagement by year-end.
- Do more live interviews such as podcasts and webinars. Living on the road can complicate scheduling, but I plan to prioritize recorded interviews when internet is stable.
- Create another product to sell. After the success of my affiliate marketing course, I want to develop an additional product to further diversify revenue.
- Promote the blog and business more effectively. I’ve improved Facebook traffic significantly and plan to continue expanding promotional efforts.
- Continue learning and improving. I’m always exploring new courses and resources to stay current and grow the business.
Affiliate income results
In July, affiliate income totaled $56,202.33. Much of this was passive income from older posts, and I spent less than an hour on affiliate strategy during the month.
I didn’t publish any new affiliate-focused posts in July, but plan to publish roughly one affiliate review article per month to cover products readers ask about.
Affiliate income is attractive because of its passive potential—it supports full-time travel and flexibility. New bloggers can earn with effective strategies, regardless of current page view levels. I cover these strategies in depth in my Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course, which includes modules, lessons, worksheets, bonuses, and an active student community.
Key topics covered in the course include:
- An introduction to affiliate marketing and benefits
- Steps I used to earn significant income from single posts
- How to choose the right products to promote
- How to improve conversion rates
- Affiliate program ideas for many niches
- Building trust with your audience and required disclosures
- Essential tools and promotion strategies
The course is suitable for new and experienced bloggers across niches and countries and has helped thousands of students implement affiliate marketing successfully.
How was July for you? Are you interested in earning blogging income?