Ok Folks, once again I discuss Freelancing and making a living with Art or any skills you have.
First off, I am no expert on anything but my own Art, and maybe Pre-Press and Production work.
Over the last several Months I have been trying to follow the so called advice of the “Make a Living” “Gurus” that are all over the place nowadays.
I thought “hey some of this MUST work”, or these “Gurus” wouldn’t be such experts.
Well, the fact is, 99% of they are simply full of BS, I think the platforms that the “Gurus” all recommend are paying said Gurus for the advertising.
I published an eBook on this topic as pretty much a joke…
No one got the joke.
“Rono64’s Get Rich with Soulless Greed AND Time Tested Methods”
Here’s a link on my Gumroad, don’t worry it’s a “Pay What You Want”, which equals free.
https://rono64.gumroad.com/l/soullessgreed
The Gurus use 3 “tried and true methods” to get you interested in their advice.
I started with this statement: “Learn How to Create “Passive Income” with (Insert Option) Even if Your Aren’t a (Insert Expertise)”
That’s it, they ALL fall into this statement, promises of results if you just know the secrets.
But as a FREE PUBLIC SERVICE!
I am going to post the entire Contents of my “wealth Secret” here on Substack, that’s right, not even free on Gumroad can beat this.
So here are the entire contents for your viewing pleasure:
Rono64’s Get Rich with Soulless Greed AND Time Tested Methods
A Time Tested Method to attract “Buyers” (or Suckers)
Copyright © 2024 Rono64 AKA Ronald A. Gravelle All Rights Reserved.
This publication and its content are protected under international copyright laws. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
For permissions requests, write to the publisher at https://rono64.com
A Time Tested Method to attract “Buyers”
“Learn How to Create “Passive Income” with (Insert Option) Even if Your Aren’t an (Insert Expertise)”
It’s the promise of “Passive Income” that folks are attracted to.
Hey I am guilty of it too, I could be sitting on a Beach somewhere drinking beer and you bought and are reading this eBook PDF.
(Not true, I am sitting at my Laptop writing and pasting the contents of my eBook for you.)
So how can YOU make this Goldmine of “Passive Income” Before we get started let me mention that this eBook comes with a
100% NO MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!
YES!
100% Guaranteed you will NEVER get your Money back from me!
Ok enough of the legalese crap, I may being honest, this very eBook is not a scam, but it is a way to make “Passive Income” and it’s might be your money well spent or it might be a complete waste.
That’s up for YOU to decide, I’ve already put the time in to create it, so for me, if it does not sell, I am out the cost not YOU!
YOU!
Have everything to gain, for the simple price of this eBook you could be opening the door to untold Millions in “Passive Income”.
(Remember always include vague profit, so no one can hold you accountable)
You see how I have now put ALL the efforts on YOU, if the concepts don’t work, it’s because YOU didn’t apply them properly, you need to be ruthless and heartless, sure someone may spend their last few bucks on the promise of a “Passive Income” eBook, but nobody is forcing them to buy it, right?
What’s forcing them is GREED and the Holy Grail of the Internet:
“Passive Income”
“Passive Income” is money you earn without actively working for it on a regular basis.
It's income that comes in even when you're not actively working, like royalties from an eBook.
The idea is to set up a source of income that continues to generate money over time with minimal ongoing effort.
Believing in “Passive Income” can be dangerous if it leads to unrealistic expectations or if it causes someone to overlook the effort and risks involved.
Here are some potential dangers:
Overestimating “Passive Income”: It's easy to underestimate the amount of work and time required to set up a passive income stream. Some methods may require significant upfront effort before they start generating income.
Risk of Failure: Not all “Passive Income” ideas are successful. There's a risk of losing money if you invest in a venture that doesn't pan out as expected.
Dependency on External Factors: “Passive Income” streams can be affected by external factors such as changes in the market, economy, or technology.
Relying too heavily on “Passive Income” can leave you vulnerable to these changes.
Lack of Diversification: Depending on a single source of “Passive Income” can be risky.
Diversifying your “Passive Income” streams can help reduce this risk.
False Sense of Security: Believing that “Passive Income” will solve all financial problems can lead to complacency and a lack of motivation to actively manage your finances or seek other sources of income.
Legal and Tax Issues: Some “Passive Income” streams may have legal or tax implications that need to be carefully considered and managed.
Overall, while “Passive Income” can be a valuable addition to your income streams, it's important to approach it with a realistic understanding of the effort, risks, and potential pitfalls involved.
So that out of the way, how can you avoid these problems and pitfalls?
It’s easy, create an eBook! No fancy videos, no selling a course, you want to create a Digital Framework that allows you to change course to follow the newest trends and fads.
You are not chasing theses trends and fads, the people buying your eBook are the ones following the trends and fads.
So enough of the blah blah blah, how do I Make a Buck and “Passive Income” with all this?
1: Picks and Shovels.
The "picks and shovels" concept refers to a strategy where instead of directly participating in a fad or trend, you provide the tools or infrastructure that others need to participate.
Imagine there's a gold rush (a fad), and everyone wants to mine for gold.
Most people focus on finding gold directly.
However, a smart entrepreneur might sell picks, shovels, and other tools that miners need.
This way, even if the gold rush ends or the fad fades, there's still a demand for the tools.
In the context of modern trends, it could mean creating platforms, software, or services that enable others to capitalize on the trend.
For example, during the cryptocurrency boom, instead of investing directly in cryptocurrencies, some people made money by creating tools for trading, mining, or securing cryptocurrencies.
In essence, the picks and shovels approach is about finding a sustainable way to profit from a fad by providing essential and lasting tools or services that support the trend.
The trend changes, you just rebrand your “Passive Income” ebook or Course to the new fad or trend, as easy as changing a few words.
2. FOMO
FOMO stands for "Fear of Missing Out." It's the feeling that you might miss out on a rewarding or exciting experience that others are having.
It often leads to anxiety or a desire to stay connected and not miss out on social events, trends, or opportunities.
You use FOMO by making people feel they are missing out on the newest and at the time greatest money making trend of the internet.
FOMO can drive people to follow stuff they would run from if they were being rational.
FOMO is the Fuel that runs the Internet!
This leads to the final piece of this puzzle.
3: The Greater Fool Concept.
In the context of digital products and fads, the greater fool concept might apply to buying or creating digital assets (like NFTs, digital collectibles, or even apps) with the expectation that their value will increase simply because others are willing to pay for them.
For example, during a fad for a particular type of mobile app, you might develop or invest in similar apps, not because you believe they provide significant value or utility, but because you think there will always be someone else who will pay more for them in the future.
You're essentially banking on the idea that the hype around the fad will continue, driving up demand and prices.
If the fad fades or the market becomes saturated, there may not be enough demand to support the inflated prices, leaving you with digital products that have little to no value.
It's important to carefully consider the long-term sustainability and utility of digital products, even during fads, to avoid getting caught up in the greater fool mentality.
This is why eBooks are perfect for this trend, you need to simply find the next fad or trend and rebrand accordingly.
Who are your “Greater Fools”
Bloggers
Content Creators
Educators (traditional teachers or online course)
Coaches
Freelancers
Authors and Writers
Small Business Owners
Restaurants
Shops and Boutiques
Real Estate Agents
Independent Service Providers
Dog Walkers
Pet Sitters
Soccer Moms
Yoga People
Sacred Geometry Believers
The Secret Followers
Church Goers
Dog Moms
There are more than I can list, are these people dumb?
NO!
They are following the FOMO and again the Internet’s HOLY GRAIL of “Passive Income”!
BUZZWORDS!
Now we would be nowhere without the awesome Internet Fad of BUZZWORDS!
These beauties follow a Time Tested Method to make Money and interest buyers.
I call it the Triple B Method of Sales!
BBB (Bullshit Baffles Brains)
Remember Greed is the driving factor, use these Buzzwords and the folks looking for that Holy Grail of “Passive Income” will eat it up.
Always keep up with the latest Buzzwords, ignore this at your peril, the next guy will use these Buzzwords and steal your potential Buyers with the better FOMO Promise.
(Do your own Research)
BUZZWORDS
As of my writing of this eBook, some current internet sales buzzwords include:
1. Omnichannel: Refers to a sales approach that provides customers with a seamless shopping experience across multiple channels, such as online, mobile, and physical stores.
2. Personalization: Tailoring products, services, and content to individual customers' preferences and needs to enhance their shopping experience.
3. Customer Journey: The complete sum of experiences that customers go through when interacting with your brand, from the first contact to becoming a loyal customer.
4. AI-Powered Sales: Using artificial intelligence to analyze data, automate tasks, and provide personalized recommendations to improve sales processes.
5. Social Commerce: Integrating social media platforms into the e-commerce experience to facilitate direct sales.
6. Subscription Economy: A business model where customers pay a recurring fee at regular intervals for access to a product or service.
7. Micro-Moments: The small moments throughout the customer journey when they turn to their devices for quick answers or to make a purchase.
8. User-Generated Content (UGC): Content created by users, such as reviews, photos, and videos, that can be used to promote products and build trust with potential customers. (Get free Content that YOU can monetize!)
9. Blockchain in Sales: Using blockchain technology to create secure, transparent, and decentralized sales processes. (Whatever the hell that is.)
10. Experiential Retail: Creating immersive and engaging shopping experiences for customers, often using technology and interactive elements.
These buzzwords may evolve over time, so it's a good idea to stay updated with current trends and practices in internet sales.
In reality all these Buzzwords are pure BS, all they are doing is telling you to sell stuff, plain and simple, but again I cannot stress enough to stay aware of these terms, use them to the fullest! (anyone remember the Dot Com Boom? Watch the Buzzdome.com Episode of Daria, this will explain it all)
FOMO!
I was going to Design this eBook using the Wonderful Services of an online “Graphic Design” service!
This service is all the rage at this time, and so are eBooks and Courses promising how to get sales creating Templates.
How long before the Market saturates?
The Service’s motto should be “Graphic Design for Soccer Moms!”
I just couldn’t bring myself to use this Karaoke Design method.
That’s about all for this eBook, thanks for buying, (well ok reading this Substack post) and try out some of these methods, you may be shocked that some of them (if not all) work.
Follow the Fads and Trends to create your Product, but do not become deeply involved with Trends and Fads, they will pass, move on to the next ones, FOMO sells!
I leave you with this great quote from the brilliant Writer and Prophet H.L. Mencken:
"No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people."
Rono64
(somewhere doing nothing while you are reading this eBook.)
A Final Bonus Message!
Before you go, remember, this publication is meant to be a light-hearted exploration.
The items and ideas inside are a playful peek at what all [subject] gurus are peddling.
It's all in good fun and not to be taken too seriously.
After all, sometimes it's best to view these things with a hint of skepticism.
So, take a step back, have a laugh, and remember, not everything that glitters is gold.
It might just be snake oil, folks!
OK, that’s all of the eBook Folks, hope you have a laugh, hope you gain some insight, it’s all a scam to pick your pockets in search of that “Passive Income Shangri-La”.
I actually started this Post to explain how I am avoiding all these pitfalls in my search for comic and illustration work, but thought it would be fun and informative to share this instead…
Now I have to go back and change the title etc…
I will write another Post soon on what I am doing Work wise in terms of promotion and increasing my cashflow etc.
Until then…
Thank you for reading and for your continued support.
Stay creative and stay strong.
Ron Gravelle
Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.