Who does really make a "true" passive income online??

imo passive = automatic. In meaning that once you have a system in place things happen automatically. Like once you have a sales funnel in place, your focus then turns to finding traffic for your funnel

Create/promote recurring membership sites - that's one way to passive income...

Cheers,
Coby

If you can write good quality books of around 200 pages, on a topic that you're knowledgeable about, and that other people are keen to read then print on demand books and eBooks through an independent distributor can get you some regular income from iBook sales, Nook and Kindle sales, not to mention the Amazon distribution channel for print on demand physical books.

I run an independent publishing company and already have 2 books out there by myself and another author in the Music Industry and Personal Development arena that bring in a passive income each month, with three more in the pipeline going through the editing stage at the moment.

Writing a good book takes time up front, so it's not for the 'pamphlet' or 'report' writers out there, but it does chug along nicely depositing regular income every month into the bank account. Write it once, sell it many times....

Google has ensured that it is virtually impossible to make a living from passive income (in the way you are thinking). Google likes fresh content.

However.....

If you create a course (say, learn how to play guitar). And you put up amazing tutorials that hit number 1 in Youtube..Then, you advertise that course through your video and description.....AND you are lucky enough for people to actually pay and download that course.... AND you are lucky enough to not have Blackhatters flag your video and ensure it gets taken down.....Then, maybe, you can consider that passive.

Running a true business is the most active thing you will ever do. You need to stay in control of every aspect. Find what works.. multiply it... and keep multiplying it until it doesn't work anymore.

Good luck.. and please don't be one of the millions wasting precious time and money looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Be the one selling food, water, raincoats, and umbrellas to those standing through the thunderstorms waiting for their fruitless rainbows.

As internet marketers we should be looking to get away from internet marketing whilst still being internet marketers. You understand what I'm trying to say?

Being an IM'er means you learn a lot of valuable skills useful to lots of people who don't even know there's such a thing as internet marketing. If you move away from niches like make money online and go into building an actual tangible business that delivers services for 'REAL' businesses then you can make a fortune from your knowledge and skills. This market is WIIIIIIIIIDE open and will probably never be saturated. Take advantage of it.

I cant say I am a successful IM as there are a few I know who are that bring in crazy money online. Though, I do make a living doing it. There are a few niches out there that can bring you in the life style you want. You need to find something you like and have interest in, but it also needs to be a marketable subject. I have known guys who made it and guys who fail. I would not waste your time marketing a book, or any kind of product. Become a reseller of a service that is in demand. A service that people need. It is a lot of hard work.

POSITIVES: You enjoy it, you will have more freedom and can take your work with you.

NEGATIVES: Getting to that point, you will spend more time online then you do at your day job.

The rewards are great, just have to have a dream and never quit. (well, that of course depends on your budget) If you have the budget, have someone else do it for you. If not, you will start at the bottom as I did almost 20 years ago with bread and water. And did not make a penny for many years, but it came in. Not in the market I started in, but it lead me to the one where I am now.

I'm able to walk away from the computer and not do anything and still produce a large income, I basically just apply solid business and automation strategies used by the world billionaires.

I find it gets boring doing nothing and since I love what I do I still work many 12-16 hour days, but it's totally optional. I told my self last night and this morning I was going to take the day of, but I've already put in 5 hours today.

I love my business, and I live my business, I'll probably walk away for good and just enjoy the finer things in life in another 7 years, that's the plan anyway

IMO, there's no such thing as legit ongoing passive income without a large amount of up front work to get it set up. Anything that claims immediate passive income is full of crap! (or illegal!)

I see lots of people answering a slightly different question than the one the OP is asking. What is being asked is "Who is making a truly passive income from the internet?" It's the dream isn't it? But is anyone really living it?

The truth is, in my experience, the "Guru's" we know about, usually have "proper" businesses with employees and overheads & all the same stresses that anyone running a business has - they may as well be in business as a butcher or baker or candlestick maker... the fact is they are running a normal business, with overheads & risks, regardless of the fact that it's online (most businesses are online to some degree now anyway) - and actually many of the so called Guru's don't do very well at all when it comes to net profit, as far as I'm aware. They may be selling big amounts, and they may make big money at launches, but then they may have invested not much less than they made back!

I've lived this myself, I can boast that I was making sales at one point of something like $60k - $80k per month, but I was working looooong hours, and I had premises, staff, stock, overheads, and lots of stress - did I mention stress? and when all said and done, not much profit. At times I'd probably have been earning more per hour stacking shelves...

So I'm interested in this question too, is there actually ANYONE out there living the internet marketing dream (or the dream most people start out with any way) of residual / passive or even semi passive online income?

My guess is that the answer is yes, but we'll never hear about it as these people are not spending their time here, they're off enjoying themselves!

I was doing $15-17K a month from 100% SE traffic, but lost most of the traffic when the google EMD update was released.

SEO is fun when its supplemental income, but the day you quit your job and turn your extra side business into your living is when it gets stressfull.

Looking to find other ways to drive traffic.