Welcome to the September online income report, where I share how I earned money online last month. Below I’ll review the month’s results and track progress across my business activities.
If you’re new here, you might wonder why I publish a monthly income report. If you’re already familiar, feel free to skip ahead.
This series began as an extra income report documenting earnings from side hustles while I still had a full-time job. In those early reports I included only income from side projects and excluded earnings from my day job.
In October 2013 I left my role as a financial analyst, and since then my monthly reports document the various ways I earn a living as an entrepreneur.
People often ask why I publish my income publicly. Some think it’s unusual, while others appreciate the transparency. I continue to publish these reports for three main reasons:
- Before I discovered blogging and side hustles, I didn’t consider them worthwhile. Seeing other bloggers publish their income reports inspired me to try side hustling. I share my results to highlight the benefits of earning extra money and to motivate others to improve their financial situation.
- Publishing monthly income reports functions as a business journal. It helps me reflect, learn from mistakes, and identify areas for improvement.
- I want to show that earning money from home is possible and legitimate. There are many ways to make money online, and sharing my experience helps others explore those opportunities.
I love being my own boss. My days feel meaningful and I truly enjoy waking up each morning. These reports are one way I show that you don’t have to dread your job or your life—there are paths to change your routine so you can spend time doing things you enjoy outside of work.
How was my online income in September?
September was a strong month for business income. It was busy personally—I spent much of the month visiting friends and family and attended FinCon—so I didn’t do as much work as usual. That said, working ahead allowed me to stay on track.
When I first transitioned to full-time self-employment things were hectic, but lately my operations have become much more stable.
While income has grown over recent months, I’ve actually found myself working less. Improving my work-life balance has paid off.
The business is doing well and I’m very happy with the current trajectory. I’ve been thinking “Life is really good” a lot lately—and I really mean it. I’m excited about the future and have many plans underway.
In September I earned $31,030 in business income before expenses.
The figure above reflects gross business income for September, before fees and expenses. Some expenses and fees that reduce this amount totaled roughly $2,200 (rounded) and include virtual assistants, staff writers for other sites, technical assistance, newsletter costs, PayPal fees, and similar items. This estimate does not include taxes. After expenses and fees, I made approximately $28,830.
Below are links to a few of my past monthly reports; for a full archive, visit my extra income page.
- $672 extra in May (2012)
- $6,523 in January extra income (2013)
- $11,927 in October income – I finally left my job
- $12,640 in January income (2014)
- $23,758 in February income – my monthly online income report (2015)
- How I made $25,138 online in July plus my 4-year blogiversary
Blog news – I won an award for Best Personal Finance Blog For Millennials
In September I attended FinCon, which was a great experience: excellent sessions, inspiring conversations, and time with friends. FinCon is my favorite conference and I recommend it to any blogger.
I was honored to receive a Plutus Award for Best Personal Finance Blog for Millennials—thank you to everyone who supported me!
P interest remains a major source of referral traffic; I use Tailwind and strongly recommend it for scheduling and analytics. Overall traffic in September was steady at around 300,000 page views.
Top new posts last month:
- Why You Should Never Have Unused Vacation Days
- Paying Off Debt And Budgeting: Tricks For Staying Motivated
- Should You Rely On Credit Cards For Your Emergency Fund?
- 6 Free Online Survey Sites To Join For Extra Money
- 5 Home Businesses You Can Start Right Now
- Living In The RV Full-Time – Should We Do It?
Featured Question: How long does it take to earn money blogging?
I include a reader question each month. The answer varies widely.
From my experience, I started earning a few hundred dollars per month less than a year after starting my blog. After two years I was earning several thousand dollars a month while still working my day job. Some bloggers see significant earnings within months, while others take years or never monetize successfully.
Blogging is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Results depend on the time and effort you invest, how effectively you learn to monetize, and your specific strategy.
Past reader questions have covered topics like increasing affiliate income, how many page views you need to make money, building websites to sell, and whether only well-known figures earn from websites.
My plans for the website and earning online
Running a business without goals is difficult, so I set targets to stay motivated. Current priorities include:
- Promotion: I’m improving article promotion and seeing positive results; Pinterest drove about 90,000 clicks to the blog in September.
- Writing a book: A publisher contacted me recently and I may begin writing a book—more details to come.
- Interviews: I’m accepting more interviews and aiming to reply to each request.
- Becoming less shy: I’ve made this a personal goal to help grow the business.
Staff writing
I continue to enjoy staff writing. My newest client is H&R Block and my first piece for them published in September. I’m also writing for GoRVing, which is fun because it lets me combine travel topics with personal finance content.
Website management
This may be the last month I include website management as a major focus in these reports—while I enjoy managing blogs and social media for clients, I’m no longer expanding this service due to time constraints. I plan to retain existing clients but concentrate on growing and improving the sites I own and my blog coaching service.
My goal is to scale income from the projects I own and the services related to this site so I can focus more on areas that align with my long-term vision.
Affiliate income
I’m increasingly excited about affiliate income. This year the semi-passive affiliate earnings have been a reliable revenue source, allowing me to travel and continue earning.
In September I earned about $23,000 in affiliate commissions. Many affiliate programs pay out 60–90 days after the referral, so those payments will appear in future reports.
My primary affiliate income comes from Bluehost via my tutorial on starting a WordPress blog, but I’m diversifying across other programs. About $7,000 of September’s affiliate earnings came from sources other than Bluehost.
Breakout of actual payments received in September ($31,030, before expenses)
- Staff writing and website management – $2,400
- Blog coaching and consulting – $790
- Website-related (advertising and partnerships from the sites I own) – $11,715
- Affiliate income (Bluehost as main source, plus other programs) – $16,125
- Selling items from home – $0
- Miscellaneous (not related to blogging/online income) – $0
Keep in mind that as a self-employed person I cover taxes (over 30% in many cases), health insurance, and benefits that an employer might otherwise provide.
Comparisons and 2015 online income total (before taxes)
- Total business income for September: $31,030
- Income in August: $23,992
- Difference: +$7,038
- Total for 2015 so far: $217,545
How was September for you? Are you interested in earning income online?
This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own and links are provided to help you on your blogging journey.