Is there such a thing as passive income?

26 replies
I suspect almost all of us would gladly welcome, say, $5k a month for doing absolutely NOTHING.
I do not believe in the 'I make $xxxxx working three hours a week after two months'.
I do, however, believe that it is possible to generate significant sums with minimal or NO work, provided you have worked your a$$ off the previous three years or so.
But how would you get yourself to this point? What life expectancy do you give your sites if you've set them up then ignored them? At some point your affiliate products will become out-dated or superseded, or your adsense sites will slip down the rankings.
It's like being an author or songwriter - on product release the royalties are consistent but tail off over time. You need another book or song to maintain your earnings.

I would be interested to hear what people's long term goals are, whether you intend to carrying on developing and promoting or whether one day you hope to sit back and watch the money roll in? Does anybody believe in genuine passive income?
#income #passive #thing
  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    1:If you broker a deal for instance: Hooking up a "salt and pepper supplier" with the McDonalds corporation... then you can make 5 k per month consistently without doing much more than processing an order for a couple of hours per month.

    2: 250 web hosting customers at 20 bucks per month is 5k residual...

    There are tons of examples... like the one you pay your electric bill to every month...

    One thing is for sure though, there's no free lunch you have to earn your way there or "pay" your way there.

    Policy changes with google and adsense and affliate marketing programs, article directories... create lots of variables..., there has to be effort happening to keep something going in my experience but,

    THERE"S NO SAYING THAT THE EFFORT HAS TO BE YOUR OWN.

    The real question is "Is it worth fighting for"? Is it worth taking your best shot and just knocking the crap outta life?

    For me, I would say yes! I might lose, but I might win too... if you don't fight, you definitely lose!

    Personally I will take the chance to WIN!!!

    It's worth it.

    To answer question: My goal is to sit back on my couch and talk to a couple of key people for 20 minutes a day and delegate EVERYTHING!!
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  • Profile picture of the author Bounderby
    That's a good point, I had not considered the ongoing maintenance being done by someone else! Thank you.
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  • Profile picture of the author freakonaleash
    passive income can be a goal yes. whats so absurd about the idea of growing bigger and bigger? but first things first, many of us have to lay the groundwork first and repeat the successful campaigns over and over again. this is not something that just the subject to the gurus of IM.
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  • Profile picture of the author scattermouse
    Yes, passive income exists. It does involve a slightly old-fashioned method though:

    1. Make lots of money
    2. Put it in the bank
    3. Watch the interest payments roll in!

    Seriously though, passive income online isn't a myth, but it's never entirely dependable either. Google tweaks the algorithm a bit, Clickbank stops working, EZA changes their rules...and BAM. Your passive income virtually disappears overnight.

    That doesn't mean you shouldn't aim for it, it just means you shouldn't rely on it.
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    • Profile picture of the author debra
      The only real passive income I know of that you don't work for in any form or fashion....Is...

      In the control of your Grandparents.

      Other than that...be prepared to work for it and the faster you give up the pipe dream, the sooner you will start earning.
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      • Profile picture of the author kf
        Unless you call family dinners when you'd rather be elsewhere 'work' ... I know people who are putting in their time primarily to get in the good books. Sad, but it happens.

        Originally Posted by debra View Post

        The only real passive income I know of that you don't work for in any form or fashion....Is...

        In the control of your Grandparents.
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        Those who stand for nothing, fall for anything. ~ Alexander Hamilton
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  • Profile picture of the author kemdev
    You don't have to write tons of articles or use Google to create
    passive income.

    Ever heard of integration marketing concepts? Get together with
    other marketers and help them monetize their "dead real-estate."
    Places that aren't currently making them money - download page,
    thank-you page, early autoresponder, etc.

    Put up a small ad for a free offer. On the backend of your offer,
    place a OTO and give your affiliates a decent commission.

    As long as they continue to make sales and convert subscribers,
    they'll get paid more, and you'll get paid more.

    Set this up with a few partners. And then you'll get your passive
    income.

    All the best,

    Jesse Kemmerer
    kemmerer.j@gmail.com
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  • Profile picture of the author yrre7
    Another example would be buying lots of rental properties and get them managed by some property management company. Then you wouldn't have to do anything.
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    • Profile picture of the author Don Schenk
      Originally Posted by yrre7 View Post

      Another example would be buying lots of rental properties and get them managed by some property management company. Then you wouldn't have to do anything.
      Yrre, you are spot on with that post. The key is a good management company who looks after your properties like the properties were their own.

      Such companies do exist.

      :-Don
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      • Profile picture of the author adamv
        I don't think there is truly a 100% passive income. I think that in IM I can come close enough to passive to satisfy me at some point.

        The closest thing to 100% passive income would be to make a fortune and then invest the money and live off of the interest but even that would require a little checking on once in a while to make sure your investment is still good and you're not getting screwed by someone.

        100% hands off income may not be possible but I think you can come pretty damn close if you play your cards right.
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        • Profile picture of the author LeeMasterson
          Passive income has been around for decades. It's not a new idea, but people are finding new ways to generate it.

          It's already been mentioned that you could put your money in the bank and let it earn interest. That's passive.

          You could buy real estate and charge rent. Pay a property manager to do all the work for you. Your rental income (once the associated mortgage is paid off) is passive income.

          Buy stocks and let the dividend income roll in year after year (or until the company you bought shares in dies a miserable death).

          Write a really popular song and receive royalties everytime some radio station plays it.

          Write a book and receive royalties on every sale.

          Invent something, then register the patent. Sell the rights to the patent for a percentage of sales to the manufacturer. Receive royalties for as long as they keep selling what you invented.

          Then there's the tried and true 'build an adsense site' and let Google pay you for any clicks you can manage to get.

          Join Clickbank or CJ or whatever and set up a site (or several) to promote affiliate products.

          Plenty of ways to earn passive income. Will you choose just one or a combination of several?
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  • Profile picture of the author bizgroup
    I don't know if passive income is possible for everyone but residual income is very obtainable if you do the work.
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  • Profile picture of the author kemdev
    Follow the system I outlined above and you'll get passive income.
    I guarantee it! =]
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    • Profile picture of the author JustaWizard
      For sure there are IM'ers making passive income from Adsense and affiliate programs.

      Offline, the passive income is NOT in MLM, it's in insurance sales and financial planning.

      I know insurance salespeople and financial service advisors making 5 and 6 figures, and yes, they worked to get it.

      Passive income is fine as long as it's for value delivered.

      Something for nothing is not only a myth, it's bad all the way around.

      My opinion is too many people want to live like kings and queens and generally have a life of luxury and no responsibility...

      YECHH!!!

      I say, stay busy, work hard, contribute value wherever you can and whenever you can.

      Lucille Ball once said "the more you do, the more you CAN do".

      So the reverse is also true: the less you do, the less you can do!

      my 2 cents....

      Best,
      David
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      • Profile picture of the author Tsnyder
        Originally Posted by JustaWizard View Post

        For sure there are IM'ers making passive income from Adsense and affiliate programs.

        Offline, the passive income is NOT in MLM, it's in insurance sales and financial planning.


        David
        Despite your limiting belief about the possibilities in MLM I cash a
        pretty good sized check every month from an MLM company I haven't
        actively worked since the mid 90's.

        I worked my ass off for about 6 years previous to that.

        Tsnyder
        Signature
        If you knew what I know you'd be doing what I do...
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  • Profile picture of the author KatherineAnneCarr
    its possible for sure.. but it does take hard work and thinking out of the box...

    I have been involved with some sites that have really taken off and have made a lot of $$$ for their owners with not much work after the launch.. it is possible..
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  • Profile picture of the author fizfaz
    I think it possible to have passive income with very minimal work provided that you've very stable foundation business that you've work very hard before. Only need minimal work to maintain it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Nobody mentioned Trust Funds. Ever know a 'Trust Fund baby?' Yeegads, those are some seriously screwed up people!

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author Gavenecko
    Maintenance will always be needed, but eventually it be easy. I think there is such thing as passive income depending on the number of websites you have and the content they contain. Someone is always going to look up something REALLY old, but the chances of your ranking getting knocked down in 10 years is pretty steep.
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  • Profile picture of the author Will Edwards
    Yes - my online earnings are mostly from passive income. That's what I intended to do right at the outset. It has taken me years of effort to figure out what works and how to grow it, but it is growing and it is passive.

    Will
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  • Profile picture of the author jokarl
    To me the easiest passive income is investing in high dividens stocks. They will cashout money every 3 months or so and in the long run (5+ years) its a totally safe investment that will print money for you on autopilot no matter what happens online

    The problem is that it takes pretty much money to get a good passive income.
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  • Profile picture of the author mikemcmillan
    Online passive income sounds great, but remember--there are lost of very serious, very clever, and very dedicated souls out there willing to do almost anything to out-do you. Anyone who sits on their laurels risks becoming a pile of bleached bones on the desert sands of time.

    One thing is to consider developing an online course on a subject. There are many platforms out there for doing this. I have a course I developed 4 years ago and have not changed the content one bit since then. The only work involves answering questions from registrants--which are mostly very simple questions. I have some days with no questions and some with a couple dozen--but it takes less than 15 minutes a day to monitor.

    An online course is different than a membership site. A membership site has contents that must be delivered regularly over a period of time. An online course has a static content. The key is in finding a company that offers online courses and getting your course into their system. They do all of the marketing and handle all of the registrations and so forth.

    Just a thought.
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  • Profile picture of the author success4all
    YES.

    If you are in the IM as a product creator or affiliate, here is a way to build your passive monthly income:

    http://www.warriorforum.com/groups/w...-jv-group.html

    This is not a get rich over night scheme, but over a period of time this can be done as you build your IM business. You don't have to work off your a$$ for the rest of your life.
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  • Profile picture of the author bobsstuff
    I have a site I created in 1997 to sell physical products. Additonally I put adsense on the site. Back in the good ol' days it generated about $300 a month. I have not updated it in years (lost interest) and it is now down to about $10 a month in adsense income.

    Yes, passive income is very possible. I used to call the adsense income "Free Money", but if you neglect sites for too long they can diminish is income.

    I have another site that I have neglected for a couple years. It used to make about $14 a month from Linkshare. Two months ago it made $49 and last month it was $154. What would happen if I got back to updating the site? HMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm!!
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    • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
      Originally Posted by Bounderby View Post

      I suspect almost all of us would gladly welcome, say, $5k a month for doing absolutely NOTHING.
      I do not believe in the 'I make working three hours a week after two months'.
      I do, however, believe that it is possible to generate significant sums with minimal or NO work, provided you have worked your a$$ off the previous three years or so.
      I did maybe 3 hours of work ALL summer, and managed to still average around 7k a month. And I'm leaving about 3k on the table, as I have a site that died and I haven't taken the time yet to fix it.

      Seriously - I work on a new site/project over a weekend, and within a few weeks of tweaking, etc, it's usually finished and pretty much hands off from there.

      It's a matter of not picking a model that requires a lot of daily activity and upkeep. If you follow a model that depends on busting your ass for a long period of time, then yes, that is the business you will end up with.

      I don't know about others here, but I got into IM so I could work LESS
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      -Jason

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  • Profile picture of the author Kael41
    Hell yes there's such a thing. I actually specialize in it...i've built sites 4 or 5 years ago that are still going strong in adsense income..and i've at times let them sit for 2-3 years on end before adding some more content.

    Sounds pretty passive to me
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