Welcome to the March business income report, where I reveal how I earned money online last month. In this update I’ll walk through what happened in March and explain the main drivers behind the month’s results.
If you’re new to Making Sense of Cents, you may wonder why I publish an income report each month. If you’re already familiar, feel free to skip ahead.
These reports began as an extra income log—initially focused on side gig earnings while I still worked a full-time job. In October 2013 I left my role as a financial analyst, and now my monthly reports cover the various ways I make a living through my business.
Many readers ask why I publicly share monthly income figures. Some think it’s unusual, others appreciate the transparency. I publish these reports for three main reasons:
- When I first learned about side hustles and online income, it was because other people publicly shared their monthly results. Seeing others’ progress inspired me to try new things. I publish my numbers to show how side income and online business can open opportunities and motivate readers to improve their financial lives.
- Monthly reports serve as a record and a learning tool. They help me evaluate what’s working, identify areas for improvement, and reflect on mistakes—acting like a business journal.
- I want to prove that earning side income from home is possible through legitimate methods. To support readers exploring online income, I also showcase other bloggers who share their monthly reports so people can learn multiple approaches.
I truly enjoy being my own boss and working full-time on the blog. Waking up excited for the day is a gift, and building this business has given me the freedom to enjoy life more. My aim with these reports is to show others that you can change your situation—your job shouldn’t prevent you from pursuing things you care about outside work.
How was business income in March of 2017?
I earned $130,856.35 from blogging and online activities in March 2017, before expenses.
March marked my third consecutive month with income over $100,000. While these figures may seem high, I began at zero and reached this level through persistent effort and continuous learning.
If $100 or $1,000 feels out of reach, remember that progress builds over time—what looks impossible now can become achievable with focused work.
Several factors contributed to this strong month:
- I promoted a friend’s course launch as an affiliate, which produced five-figure earnings during the short launch window. I don’t always do heavy launch promotion, but I chose to support this high-quality course and it paid off.
- I appeared as a guest expert on a webinar, which helped grow my email list, expanded my audience, and boosted visibility.
- A January feature in Forbes continued to drive traffic into March, bringing thousands of new visitors and email subscribers to the site.
- I’ve been deliberately diversifying income streams. Since launching my first product, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing, my revenue mix now includes affiliate marketing, product sales, sponsorships, and advertising—an arrangement I’m comfortable with. I’m also working to spread affiliate income across more partners.
- I’ve focused more on email marketing, switching to ConvertKit in 2016. That change made newsletters much more effective and easier to manage. Building a list has paid off: I now have tens of thousands of subscribers and encourage bloggers to start an email list as early as possible.
- I invested in growing my Facebook presence. From roughly 6,500 followers at the start of 2016, I finished that year with 38,000 and reached about 60,000 by the end of March 2017. Growing social channels has helped reach new readers and increase income.
Overall, March was strong across the board—traffic, products, and affiliate income all performed well. I’m optimistic about 2017 and enjoying the business growth and new opportunities.
My course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing, continued to attract new students, and I’ve received many success stories from students who increased their affiliate earnings substantially after taking the course.
If you’re a blogger considering a course on affiliate marketing, my course walks through strategies that helped me scale affiliate income. For new bloggers, I also offer a tutorial on how to start a WordPress blog on budget hosting if you want to launch your own site.
Breakout of March 2017 income – $130,856.35:
In March 2017 the total income was $130,856.35. Below is the breakdown by income category.
- Affiliate income – $86,255.36 total:
- Bluehost (tutorial referrals) – $45,630.00
- Survey companies – $10,291.50
- Bookkeeper Business Academy – $1,123.25
- MOTIF Investing – $1,058.00
- Ebates (tiered affiliate estimate) – $1,000.00
- Amazon FBA post referrals – $982.65
- Building a Framework – $854.40
- Izea/SponsoredTweets – $384.00
- Facebook strategies ebook – $374.00
- How To Start An Online Store post – $343.36
- Uber – $315.00
- Credible – $300.00
- ConvertKit – $271.60
- $5 Meal Plan – $246.00
- Amazon – $121.60
- 17 Strategies eBook – $120.00
- Proofreading post – $109.40
- Personal Capital – $100.00
- Digit – $90.00
- Ibotta – $50.00
- Miscellaneous affiliates – $22,490.60 (including earnings from a late-February launch that paid out in March and other product sales).
- Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course – $30,088.00
- Sponsorships and advertising – $11,750.00
- Display advertising – $2,763.00
Total: $130,856.35
The total above reflects gross income for March before fees and expenses. Typical monthly fees and expenses (virtual assistants, course platform fees, technical support, newsletter costs, payment processing fees, etc.) averaged around $4,000. Additionally, affiliate payouts to partners promoting my course totaled $7,976.40. After expenses and partner payouts, I estimate net income around $118,879. This does not account for taxes, which I cover as a self-employed business owner.
Keep in mind that running my business means covering health insurance, taxes (over 30% in many cases), and other costs an employer would otherwise provide.
For readers looking for a comprehensive overview of ways to monetize a blog, see the site’s guide to making money blogging.
Below are selected past income reports and milestones showing how the business grew over time, including earlier months with much smaller totals. For the full archive, visit the site’s income page.
- $672 extra in May (2012)
- $6,523 in January extra income (2013)
- $11,927 in October income – I finally left my job (2013)
- $12,640 in January income (2014)
- $23,758 in February income (2015)
- How I made $300,000 online in 2015 (summary)
- How I made $979,321 in 2016 (annual recap)
Comparisons and 2017 online income total:
- Total income in March 2017: $130,856
- Total income in February 2017: $160,211
- Difference from the previous month: -29,355
- Total in 2017: $430,300
Blog news
Making Sense of Cents continues to do well and I’m pleased with the progress. After reader feedback, I decided to keep publishing monthly income reports—they remain one of my favorite posts to write because they motivate me, help me track progress, and provide value to readers.
The Forbes feature from January continues to drive traffic and bring new readers. I also started guest posting more to reach new audiences and plan to publish at least one guest post per month for the coming year.
Monthly traffic for March was around 500,000 page views.
Other blog updates:
- I launched a community Facebook group where readers can ask for advice on finance, blogging, travel, running a business, and more. The group grew rapidly to thousands of members within a short time.
- I started a new interview series showcasing people with interesting financial or lifestyle stories—examples include a 28-year-old who retired with a multi-million-dollar net worth, a young landlord with multiple rentals, a full-time sailor, and others. More interviews are planned.
- I released a free “How To Start A Blog” email course. Over 15,000 people enrolled within a few months. The course assists readers who want to launch their own blog.
- Following the success of the free starter course, I also published a free “Master Your Money” email course focused on money management and financial worksheets.
- A third free email course is in development for later this spring.
Popular new posts on Making Sense of Cents last month:
- How I Run A Business While Traveling 365 Days a Year
- How To Get Rich: The Steps To Build Wealth Now
- Cutting College Costs: Understanding The Cost And Value Of Your Degree
- How This 28 Year Old Retired With $2.25 Million
- Less is More: Guide To Becoming a Minimalist
- How To Stay Focused, Get Stuff Done, And Be Successful
- 11 Reasons to Choose RV Life
- 10 Real Ways To Make Money In A Day (or a Week!)
Featured Question: What blogging ebooks and courses do you recommend?
I feature one reader question in each monthly report. If you have a question you’d like me to answer, leave a comment below.
I’m asked about recommended blogging ebooks and courses frequently. Growing a blog and building a successful online business takes work, and targeted courses or ebooks can speed up learning and reduce costly mistakes.
Here are resources I recommend:
- Facebook Strategies Worth Sharing — An ebook that helped me grow my Facebook presence significantly, which in turn boosted traffic and income.
- Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing — My comprehensive course on affiliate marketing and the strategies I used to scale income. The course covers picking products, increasing conversions, disclosures, tools, and promotion strategies.
- 17 Strategies I Used To Grow My Page Views — An eBook focused on tactics for increasing blog traffic, especially useful for newer bloggers looking to scale page views.
These resources cover social growth, traffic strategies, and affiliate monetization—key areas for building a successful blog.
Share in the comments: What is your favorite blogging ebook or course?
Past featured questions and archived posts are available for readers who want to explore additional topics such as affiliate income growth, monetization strategies, and blogging tools.
My plans for my blog and business.
Setting goals keeps me focused. Current priorities include:
- Earn $1,000,000 from my business in 2017. The target emphasizes increasing passive income while improving work-life balance rather than simply raising the revenue goal higher.
- Achieve better work-life balance. I want to step away from the blog for short periods without constant checking, while maintaining business performance.
- Get at least three months ahead on content. I’m currently two months ahead and aim to reach three months before the end of April to better accommodate travel and limited internet access.
- Grow the blog to 1,000,000 monthly page views. This would let me help more readers and increase engagement.
- Do more live interviews, podcasts, and webinars. Living in an RV sometimes makes scheduling difficult, but I plan to refine scheduling to increase live appearances.
- Create another product to sell. Adding another product will further diversify income.
- Promote the blog and business more effectively. Recent emphasis on Facebook has significantly increased referral traffic.
- Continue learning and improving. I regularly take courses to stay current and refine strategies.
Affiliate income results.
In March 2017 I earned $86,255.36 in affiliate income. This was a strong month for affiliates—partly launch-driven and partly passive. I expect April to be lower because there are no planned launch promotions, so the income will be mostly passive affiliate earnings.
Affiliate marketing is a favorite revenue source because of its passive potential, which pairs well with a location-independent lifestyle. Blogging income is not solely dependent on page views—new bloggers can earn affiliate revenue if they choose the right products and promotion strategies. That’s the core of what I teach in my affiliate marketing course.
Since the course launched in July 2016, nearly two thousand students have enrolled. The course includes multiple modules, lessons, worksheets, bonuses, and access to an exclusive Facebook group, covering topics such as:
- Introduction to affiliate marketing and its benefits
- How I generated substantial income from single posts
- How to choose affiliate products to promote
- Steps to increase conversion rates
- Affiliate program ideas across niches
- Building trust with readers (essential)
- Required disclosures and compliance
- Essential tools for affiliate marketing
- Strategies to promote affiliate links
The course is designed for bloggers at any level, regardless of niche or location, and aims to give actionable guidance to boost affiliate revenue.
How was March for you? Are you interested in earning blogging income?