Is IM truly passive income?

66 replies
I've been looking for some time for an honest passive income stream.

Like most people, I have a busy lifestyle. I work 40+ hours a week, I'm studying for an MA part time, I have a family, I take my health (and exercise) seriously. Plus my daily commute to and from work is a staggering 2 hours.

I don't mean to make excuses, but I don't have a lot of free time. I've looked into building ad sites or affiliate sites. And the amount of time it takes to build and maintain them would equal a whole second job that I just don't have time for.

My definition of passive income is something that you set up once, and then it continues to generate income for you with little or no extra time to maintain. I don't think IM fits that definition. The guys I know that have truly replaced their jobs and now do IM full time, essentially put in the same time and hours (or more) as their previous jobs. It's not passive if you have to put in 40 hours a week to make it work. From what I've learned, that's what it takes to be a success at this.

Anyone else agree? I don't question that IM is a legitimate job and it may even provide the freedom to work for yourself instead of others. But it isn't passive.
#income #passive
  • Profile picture of the author Bruce Wedding
    I agree. This ain't for you. And it ain't 40 hrs per week.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7880346].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    It's mostly not passive. It could end up passive after a few years of hard work if you outsourced or automated it but that would take time that you don't seem to have.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7880347].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author DPM70
    I'm earning in one day of IM a week what I earn in my other 4 days a week in a decent job. It does work, it's fickle, it's difficult to let go of that security. I'm about to make the leap. I always know that I can go out and get a job if I fail. I've never had a problem doing that. I think it's a mindset change and a bit of a leap of faith. But the "faith" here is in your own abilities and determination.

    I'm currently riding the rungs of two ladders. You don't have to give everything else up to do this. It's very achievable part time until you gather the knowledge, momentum and income to take it on fully.
    Signature
    I don't build in order to have clients. I have clients in order to build. - Ayn Rand
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7880349].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author HarrisonJ
    If you build an email list, then it becomes somewhat passive because you can make money sending offers to your list and your list gets bigger over time. But no, nothing in life is passive, everything decays if you stop maintaining it.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7880356].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
      Passive income is pretty much a myth in the real world.

      There's always something you have to do to keep the
      money coming in.

      The sooner you give up on the idea of passive income and
      focus on building something that brings you in a good income
      working the hours you'd like to work the sooner you'll get
      to the point where you have the lifestyle you want.

      But expect to put some effort in.

      Also most things will require a huge learning curve at the
      start where you're going to have work VERY hard until you
      achieve some kind of mastery.

      After you've gone through that process and built some skills
      and assets you will be making more money with a whole lot
      less effort.

      Just so you understand "assets" might be a website with traffic
      or people with lists you have relationships with, or a huge email
      list you've built relationships with.

      The real freedom usually comes because you've built your
      skills levels and assets to the point where you can run them
      easily with only a little time and effort.

      Even if you outsource huge portions of your work there's
      skill and effort required...the skill of outsourcing effectively
      (and knowing what tasks to give your employees) and the
      work in managing your team of outsourcers.

      Kindest regards,
      Andrew Cavanagh
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7880391].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author jimmyvanilla
        Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh View Post

        Passive income is pretty much a myth in the real world.

        There's always something you have to do to keep the
        money coming in.

        The sooner you give up on the idea of passive income and
        focus on building something that brings you in a good income
        working the hours you'd like to work the sooner you'll get
        to the point where you have the lifestyle you want.

        But expect to put some effort in.
        It doesn't get any clearer than that. I used to chase the 'passive income' myth until I managed to get my head around the fact that apart from someone giving you a $mil and dumping it in a bank account, it's necessary to work for money.

        It's about being able to do the work you choose to do, not the work you have to do.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881753].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Who ever said it was passive? You can certainly set up some passive income streams but marketing stuff online is a business like any other.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7880399].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author theory expert
    Banned
    If you look up the day in the life of a VC even they work 12 hour days and even more if working on closing a deal. I don't know who sold the autopilot dream, but, they lied big time!

    Stick to the mantra, "the harder you work the easier it gets" because you can never go wrong working hard, (but, things can go terribly wrong from getting fat and lazy in business). Turning it on and off might not work after you get decades of easy living, so, stay sharp please.

    That is all.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7880482].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author fcf360
    Not passive. But your websites work for you 24/7. Even when you sleep. Thus, not necessarily active income either. IM is dynamic income, neither positive nor active, but better.
    Signature
    The Warrior Forum
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7880498].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MartinPlatt
    I think it depends. If you set up an ad campaign once, and it nets you some big profits in sales, is that passive?

    What about setting up a website, then leaving it to make sales. The setup is significant, but it fits, doesn't it?

    No, it's not like buying a house, then renting it, but even that isn't passive.
    Stock market isn't passive either, as you'd be an idiot to buy something then leave it and never check on it.

    I think that really depends on the timeframe you consider passive to apply to.

    There's no reason why you would have to spend 40 hours a week to get some success, none at all. In fact, once you get it, you'd be able to do significantly less than that, and still make a decent living.
    Signature

    Martin Platt
    martin-platt.com

    Stuck with earning commissions online? Get this get this uncensored affiliate marketing guide for free (sold as coaching for $4,997)

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7880894].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    Definiton of passive:

    Accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance.
    It depends how you have things set up. A lot of people use outsourcers so they take do not have to complete certain tasks. But you still need to be involved in your business at some level even if it's just telling outsourcers what to do.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7880982].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author m00d
    Originally Posted by earlgray View Post

    I've been looking for some time for an honest passive income stream.

    Like most people, I have a busy lifestyle. I work 40+ hours a week, I'm studying for an MA part time, I have a family, I take my health (and exercise) seriously. Plus my daily commute to and from work is a staggering 2 hours.

    I don't mean to make excuses, but I don't have a lot of free time. I've looked into building ad sites or affiliate sites. And the amount of time it takes to build and maintain them would equal a whole second job that I just don't have time for.

    My definition of passive income is something that you set up once, and then it continues to generate income for you with little or no extra time to maintain. I don't think IM fits that definition. The guys I know that have truly replaced their jobs and now do IM full time, essentially put in the same time and hours (or more) as their previous jobs. It's not passive if you have to put in 40 hours a week to make it work. From what I've learned, that's what it takes to be a success at this.

    Anyone else agree? I don't question that IM is a legitimate job and it may even provide the freedom to work for yourself instead of others. But it isn't passive.
    Earl you are exactly right... I've made my living online for almost two decades... But I probably spend more time working that I would if I had a 40 hour a week job. I'm a introvert so it suits me but I put my time in just as you do with your job. If working from home is appealing to you then IM is something you should explore, but thinking that IM is a way to work 'less' is simply not the case for the vast majority of folks.
    Signature
    Cheap WordPress Hosting @ 3Host
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881003].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author LetsGoViral
    No, it's not. In fact, it's very active income. You must have been fooled by those "Make money with Google" ads. If you want passive income, try investing in index funds.
    Signature
    Time of thinking is over.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881010].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author troy23
    Yes I've always found success with passive models, although I did not think of it this way when I set them up.
    There are many things you can do.
    Some things I implemented around 10 years ago are still pulling in passive income each month without fail.
    Once you get one thing working - for example YouTube Adsense videos, then you can
    move onto something else in the knowledge that the income stream you have set up will
    always work for you day or night.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881096].message }}
  • {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881100].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author kiwiviktor81
      In theory it could be passive. You could put a book on Amazon and never promote it, it could be a mega hit and you could do no work beyond banking the cheques.

      You could also win the lottery.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881136].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author livitweb
        I wouldn't think of IM as a source of passive income. You need to work on it so that you will generate income, otherwise, you won't be able to earn from it. However, once you have it successfully set up, it sort of becomes passive, in a sense that it will be able to generate income on its own, based on how you set it up in the first place. But you won't be able to slack off forever, you still need to make updates from time to time, otherwise, your site will ultimately die.
        Signature

        Download the Biggest Secret to "Effective Email Marketing" - Seriously Not what you think!

        * Implement this secret method and watch your List Respond like clickwork *
        Download
        Your FREE Copy Here: Cheers David Cummings: ---> www.mywealthyweb.com/free

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881145].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author RonnieJSmith
    Hi,

    passive income is indeed a myth. "You build a list and then it's passive" - What about finding products to promote, writing reviews, making your products etc. etc.Even organic traffic keeps changing daily.

    This is why find one thing that works and stick to it - bank enough - invest in real estate and gold and live a happy life.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881237].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Nathan Bumstead
      Originally Posted by RonnieJSmith View Post

      This is why find one thing that works and stick to it - bank enough - invest in real estate and gold and live a happy life.
      And the rich get richer... turning assets into assets, while everyone else makes excuses.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7886478].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    No, it's not passive. You have to work your butt off to get a site to the point where it even begins to make more of a passive income, but in reality, as soon as you stop working on it, the results begin to dry up.

    It sounds like you're way to busy to even consider an online career.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881303].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Malcolm Thomas
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      No, it's not passive. You have to work your butt off to get a site to the point where it even begins to make more of a passive income, but in reality, as soon as you stop working on it, the results begin to dry up.

      It sounds like you're way to busy to even consider an online career.
      This. I truly believe that most newbies approach IM with the wrong mindset which is the cause of many of the failing in my honest opinion. It takes work (lots of hard work) to become successful online and make passive income.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7884347].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Drew Trainor
    The harder you work the more you make... eventually you'll learn to outsource a lot of your work.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881346].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author J50
    If you're after building passive income you're much better investing in corporate bonds and dividend stocks. Also checkout P2P lending sites. If you financed someone's small project, and collected a royalty on whatever they sold, then that I guess would be passive income.

    However, be careful there's a lot of scammers out there.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881377].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author cpa-money
    IM is not set and forget. you must tweak, change and study all the time.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881421].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Tiptopcat
    Certain things can be done and you can then set and forget but the majority of people making proper money are constantly working on their websites, constantly working to grow their lists and constantly trying out new strategies.

    Passive income sounds great but I don't think that it will lead to riches.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881505].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jacob Pionke
    Yeah being an internet marketer is kind of like being a doctor, you need to study all the time, adapt to any changes, you discover new thing everyday, and most of all you need to like it, you need to help, give value to people. Thats when you will make the most money and reputation for yourself.

    Just because you are busy, that doesnt mean anything. Dedication is all you need.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881524].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mert
    Whoever told you that IM is passive income is trying to convince himself that it is!

    IM is business (freelance-ish) and it demands time. It does not happen overnight that's one...

    The way to leverage yourself is to design a fool-proof system, once you get liquid you can hire outsource to do the heavy loads so you can simply step back and orchestrate everything in harmony.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881539].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author betterwtveter
    To put in my two cents. My wife is a stay at home mom and we have a new little girl. I use to run a construction business working about 9 hours a day along with marketing online for about an additional 3 hours a day. It sucks, but is well worth it.
    When running my busy construction business, I did four things that replaced my income in 3 months.
    1.) I sold a specific CPA product that I had a lot of interest in, which was a debt consolidation offer.
    2.) I wrote one blog a day on that offer to educate my readers instead of boring them with my sales pitch.
    3.) Participated in financial forums to help people with finances that brought my about 30 visitors a day.
    4.) I also used Craiglist to post the CPA service with three ads posted every day.

    This sounds like work, but in 3 months, you will get that income you are seeking.

    Much Luck to You
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881566].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JensSteyaert
    It most certainly is not!

    It takes very hard work and dedication, but if you can hold on to that epic work ethic for some years, you might make money while you are asleep. But this doesn't mean you don't have to work in the daytime..Ofcourse you can also outsource work too, so if you're doing really well, then you might eventually work less and earn way more than the regular 9-5 people.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881650].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author khooster1
    I think IM is never passive income..
    It is those marketing gimmicks that
    send the wrong ideas to the newbies.

    To think over again, we need these
    gimmicks that help to sustain the
    incomes of these successful marketers.

    Sad to say this, but all of us need to
    Grow up from this enflated Internet dreams

    It can be more passive when your business
    is on a working profitable system.
    One way is to engage VA to handle
    Parts of your works.

    You will still be required to work on
    business.. Not so much in the business.

    Remember Tim Ferris's 4hrs work week..
    Even he need to work for 4hrs..

    You can only afford to think so far
    after you have made 10k per month
    And lots more as savings/reserves..

    For now, do work your butt out to get
    the sales in!!

    Good luck!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881687].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author The Dotcom Hippie
      Originally Posted by khooster1 View Post

      Remember Tim Ferris's 4hrs work week..
      Even he need to work for 4hrs..
      Heh, Tim certainly works a lot more than four hours a week.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7883061].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author fin
        It depends how you set it up.

        Pat Flynn just mentioned he works 1hr per month on a site that brings in $3-5K.

        That is pretty passive.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7883145].message }}
  • YES, it can be...

    I am currently wrapping up developement on a web service that will be paying lifetime commissions to affiliates.

    Fully passive - Once you sign up a new client, you get commissions on all of their sales, forever.

    Easy signups - It is FREE for clients to sign up and they make money when they sell too.

    Value added integration - The service can be utilized by any and all websites, regarless of their current monetization method. It always increases positive user experience with a focus on keeping users on your site rather then directing them away like ads would do (while still bringing a source of revenue).

    I wish I could say more but I'll be waiting till the system has passed beta testing.

    The coolest part is IMers who aren't affiliates will still profit from the service by utilizing it on their sites.

    You will be able to monetize any website, by itself or in conjunction with any other monetization method:

    • Blogs
    • Corporate sites
    • E-commerce
    • Forums
    • Review sites
    • Basically, any site that drives like minded visitors.

    Stay tuned in the next 30 days for the official launch!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881700].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Henri Lind
    Well, i'd rather work 40+ hours a week from home and make loads more money than 40+ hours on 9-5 job that i hate.

    And to set up a business you do need to put in a lot of hours. Once outsourcing is an option, you can outsource everything and start your "4 hour workweek"
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7881747].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author zeroaffiliate
    Like any business, the initial part is crucial where we lay the foundations to build the model. As we progress and start making more money, we can automate and outsource most of the process to free up our time yet increasing our income. Thus creating a passive income.

    Working on a job on the other hand, is working for others and the amount of time spend working equals to the amount your income is which is not scaleable.

    Do you agree?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7882028].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author michael bury
    Great question Earl and some honest answers.

    The question I would ask is you need to be clear in your own mind what is passive?

    From my point of view I would agree that IM is like any other traditional business and to maintain a constant stream of income would require input from either yourself or someone that you are employed.

    An analogy from a previous post which I believe is an honest definition: "was that if you were investing in stocks and shares, would you maintain an interest in their performance?" It would indeed be a foolish investor if they were to never check the stock price. Surely the same could be applied for an Internet marketer keeping a close eye on their own business.

    Perhaps this is the true definition of a passive income or maybe as close to as is feasible and I would reiterate another post whereby it was stated "I would much rather spend 40 hours doing this rather than the traditional grind 9-5 together with the associated commute."So like everything in life you have a choice, simple but true and if you choose not to try well that is something for you to live with, and if you do take the leap and fail well at least you tried.

    Good luck with whatever you choose to do and hopefully you will succeed with your endeavours.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7882058].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    Passive income online is like recording a CD and seeing the profits roll in for years and years ahead. Passive for me is earning residual money and then earning more from the efforts of other people. That is the way I see it from my own eyes.

    It does take time to make things work online and if you are not willing to do what ever it takes for how long it takes then this is not for you.

    For someone who is new, they have to put in the work when they get started. They have to persist and never stop until they earn what they desire. Once you have a system in place, things pretty much work for you on auto-pilot.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7882107].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author theory expert
      Banned
      QUITE ALOT OF DIFFERENT ANSWRS!!!!!

      Originally Posted by MartinPlatt View Post

      I think it depends. If you set up an ad campaign once, and it nets you some big profits in sales, is that passive?

      What about setting up a website, then leaving it to make sales. The setup is significant, but it fits, doesn't it?

      No, it's not like buying a house, then renting it, but even that isn't passive.
      Stock market isn't passive either, as you'd be an idiot to buy something then leave it and never check on it.
      In other words, no passive income

      Originally Posted by troy23 View Post

      Yes I've always found success with passive models, although I did not think of it this way when I set them up.
      There are many things you can do.
      Some things I implemented around 10 years ago are still pulling in passive income each month without fail.
      Once you get one thing working - for example YouTube Adsense videos, then you can
      move onto something else in the knowledge that the income stream you have set up will
      always work for you day or night.
      How do you have a 10 year passive income? Are you on the beach? Life is good where you stay
      Passive means the life of the product is going to last and you do not have to actively promote a thing. IF you have a sig link this tells me your income isn't passive enough to support your lifestyle fulltime.

      Originally Posted by kiwiviktor81 View Post

      In theory it could be passive. You could put a book on Amazon and never promote it, it could be a mega hit and you could do no work beyond banking the cheques.

      You could also win the lottery.
      Lets keep our fingers crossed

      Originally Posted by BIG Mike View Post

      About the only thing I've ever done that fits my definition of passive income is writing books for Kindle - once your work is published, Amazon takes care of everything else.

      Obviously you can do it less passively than I do and put a lot of effort into promoting your books (and certainly your results will be better than mine doing so ), but I really like the fact that I'm not doing anything other than writing and publishing.

      Almost everything else in IM or any online business for that matter requires active participation or management of outsourcing.
      I tend to believe your post so I will take this as gospel.

      Originally Posted by InboxElephant View Post

      If you're after building passive income you're much better investing in corporate bonds and dividend stocks. Also checkout P2P lending sites. If you financed someone's small project, and collected a royalty on whatever they sold, then that I guess would be passive income.

      However, be careful there's a lot of scammers out there.
      Me and you think exactly alike. I would have wrote closely what you said. Plug yourself into someone else's business is about all you can do. Aside, from that divorcing a rich person and winning the lottery are your only options .

      Originally Posted by Jacob Pionke View Post

      Yeah being an internet marketer is kind of like being a doctor, you need to study all the time, adapt to any changes, you discover new thing everyday,
      ------
      Originally Posted by mert View Post

      Whoever told you that IM is passive income is trying to convince himself that it is!
      LOL yeah i'll believe it when I see it with my own eyes.

      Originally Posted by The Stardust Traveler View Post

      YES, it can be...
      but then you say
      Originally Posted by The Stardust Traveler View Post

      I am currently wrapping up developement on a web service that will be paying lifetime commissions to affiliates.

      Stay tuned in the next 30 days for the official launch!
      Which means it is theory until you do it.

      Originally Posted by talfighel View Post

      Passive income online is like recording a CD and seeing the profits roll in for years and years ahead. Passive for me is earning residual money and then earning more from the efforts of other people. That is the way I see it from my own eyes.
      Residual for life has to be one heck of a product,(like the beatles), and, even then they kept working because they don't know which product is going to turn to gold and which once may flop.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7882984].message }}
      • Originally Posted by theory expert View Post

        Which means it is theory until you do it.
        True indeed! We're currently working out the bugs and testing the offline infrastructure. You'll definitely know when we're accepting new users and affiliates!
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7883343].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author The Dotcom Hippie
    I have sites that I haven't done any work on since 2009 that are still making money, so yes, IM can be a passive income - to a degree... I mean, most types of passive income require some work anyway. Try buying some apartments and renting them out, for example - you'll probably discover that living off your assets isn't quite the "permanent vacation" you expected it to be. Overall, however, I wouldn't say my income is a very "passive" one, and with recent Google changes etc it actually requires me being more and more active. So... instead of looking for a passive income, create a business that allows you to spend your work hours doing stuff you love doing. Lots of people do just that so why not you?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7882110].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MKCookins
    Internet marketing is not passive but the great thing is how you can leverage work you do.

    For example if you create a high converting squeeze page and funnel, you are done. All you need to do is send traffic and reap the profits.

    If you have a newsletter it may take you a day to write - but once it is written this one newsletter can generate you traffic for years to come.

    So no Internet marketing is not passive - but you can make a lot more money doing the same amount of work you would be doing in the real world.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7882826].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Well... invest in alot of advertising, make sure you profit or at least break even. Do backend marketing. And let the system work itself while you're at work or chilling at the house. You'll get more traffic this way than doing free marketing for a few hours per day.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7882991].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    If you want passive income - get a job.

    Unlike online business where you work 7 days a week, often 14+ hours a day, in a job you only work 8 and get to go to bed before 3am.

    Jokes aside...

    Online business is about momentum, over time you build momentum, and with that, comes earnings. Think of it like a big ocean liner. It takes a lot of effort to gather up speed to get going, but once its at speed, it just coasts along.

    Online business is much the same.

    It takes a shite load of effort at the beginning, but once you're coasting, you can back off the throttle a bit.

    But not much.
    Signature

    BS free SEO services, training and advice - SEO Point

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7883010].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
    If passive means working 12 hours a day 7 days a week, then DEFINITELY
    Signature
    Free Special Report on Mindset - Level Up with Positive Thinking
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7883048].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author rmolina88
    It can be alot more work than a normal 9-5 job at the start, but once you get the hang of it, you can easily reduce your work week to a few hours at a time.

    Like everyone said, you must always constantly keep learning and adapting to the changes in the environment.

    My IM "work" week is actually less than 10 hours total (answering emails and setting up services), but I'm also working in other niches, so I'm still doing a 40+ hour work week, but actually doing stuff I love.

    It's not exactly passive, but it beats sitting in traffic for 2 hours, a cubicle for 8 hours, and spending another 2 hours in traffic.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7883234].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mialove
    I have sites that I haven't done any work for a few years, but they keep bring a few hundreds per month, but overal, i am working around 30 hours a week.
    I tried to make it as passive as possible with outsourcing, but it's doesn't work well enough for me.
    If you can find good outsources, and project managers than you can have a " work 4 hours a week" , but, in reality, its not that easy to find them.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7883345].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Make Money Ninja
    The phrase: You get out of life what you put in rings true.

    If you have no experience and expect to do no work / make lots of money, your going to fail.
    Signature

    The Ultimate Guide To Link Building

    Get More Links - Generate More Traffic - Make More Money!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7884111].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CDawson
    Banned
    You could do some work and then just let it sit there?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7884124].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    The only passive income I have is a good few videos I have ranking on Youtube that point directly to affiliate offers. They've been up for a long time and continue to rank without me doing anything to them, I'll see sales week in week out. You have to take a little time to make the videos and rank them in the first place though obviously but it's not that time consuming.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7884279].message }}
  • Define "passive" lol..

    You are right to some extend though, those who earn a lot of passive/residual each month have put a lot of effort in before hand though. Like I when I first started out I made a product review site, which to this date still earn a bit of money, and I don't even look at it :-)

    So basically I guess people have different opinions on how to define "passive income". I like to use the term residual income, becuase I actually put in work each month.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7884337].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author saloni
    There nothing exist called passive income...
    your have to work actively for kickstart... and after that you can recruit worker for that but it won't be totally passive at all.
    and 40+ hrs are not too much
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7885142].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author troy23
    Theory Expert

    Passive means the life of the product is going to last and you do not have to actively promote a thing

    I'm glad you agree.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7885524].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author imoffersonline
    Im is not easy or you can set on auto pilot for a steady income. you have to work hard and monitor regularly.
    Signature

    I'm Ready for learning.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7885698].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MarcusJohnson
    IM is definitely not for everybody and its definitely not passive as per experience. I'd say work hard, spend time to study and once you've hit the mark then every effort and money spent are definitely worth it. The returns are truly impressive that's if you work hard and spend time to it. So I guess you have to focus on what you really want and take the risk if you think its your thing then go for IM if you can't take the risk then definitely IM isn't for you..
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7885954].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author goldmineberry
    Banned
    It is passive income if you can 100% automate your sales funnel and online business.

    I still highly recommend all Internet Marketers to build a Real Internet Business. This includes identifying a good niche to venture into and then build a huge list on that niche. Next, build a solid relationship with your leads and then create good online products that provide good value. This is when you can sell to your list repeatedly and earn a consistent online income. This model in my opinion and experience is the REAL Internet Business. I hope all Internet marketers will understand this and walk the right path to Internet success.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7886527].message }}
    • I think it's a mistake looking at a revenue stream as either just "passive" or "active." It really doesn't matter until you start looking at ROI of your time.

      In practice, you could have a revenue stream that is 100% passive but only pays out $100 a year (interest on savings account for example). It's a start, but not the end all.

      Or maybe you make $50,000 but there's a maintenance requirement of 2 hours a day.

      Which is more valuable to you?

      The nature of the revenue source will determine if maintenance is required to keep the money flowing. There is no one answer that IM is passive or not. You are using the internet as a medium to drive your revenue. The beauty of the internet is the ease of system automation which has the potential to remove recurring work from you. You still need to set it up which requires work. Now if you have the mindset that you're not even willing to create a system that drives passive income, then you need to reconsider your actual desires.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7886708].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Wade Watson
        Entirely "passive" situations tend to be the exception rather than the rule, for sure. Usually it's someone who spent a lot of time setting something up, then went on to other projects, and still have a steady trickle of income coming. These usually fizzle out eventually, though.

        Now, with the right project, it is possible to spend as little as an hour or two a day at IM and earn more than you do in the other 8 at your regular job. There are a lot of people doing that. But if you must have "truly passive" income, forget it. The only people I've known with that were trust fund kids.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7886733].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author GaurabBorah
    I actually don't agree on it. In my initial years I worked hard without worrying about the results. I set goals and then worked hard to achieve them. Make long term goals and find a business model that is going to be their for a long time.

    The small income streams that I setup 2 years ago are still making me money with very little work. I make money from them and outsource 10% to maintain them. That's all it takes.

    Currently I started working on other models and diversify my approach.

    Don't just sit, think and pre assume things. If you want to get successful take that first step.

    There is a very famous saying "Success happens when opportunity meets preparation"

    Hope that helps
    Signature
    [WSOTD] Easy STEP-BY-STEP $50-$100/Day Posting Lame FB Ads!*WARRIORS MAKING MONEY*(New Social PROOF)...Click here
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7886813].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ceenote100
    Well if you're making money while not working then it's passive income.
    Signature
    ► ► ► FREE REPORT!!◄ ◄ ◄


    ★ ★ ★ Introducing THE BRUTAL TRUTH About Internet Marketing! ★ ★ ★
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7886847].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ElGuapo
    Originally Posted by earlgray View Post

    Anyone else agree? I don't question that IM is a legitimate job and it may even provide the freedom to work for yourself instead of others. But it isn't passive.
    Passive income is the goal, not the means of production.

    With social media allowing sites to become Google-proof, outsourcers readily available from a range of sites, and a breadth of payment methods, any type of IM business can be outsourced to the point of passivity.

    The real trick is in creating something valuable enough...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7887146].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Bri777
    All I see right now is "leverage". I could care less if it's called passive or not, especially right now (in the initial stages). We can do/earn a helluva lot more with the internet, networks, technology and affiliates compared to a normal job.

    Damn, even earning your first dollar online shoots you WAY ahead of the gen pop. You can then start figuring things out to scale that up.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7887190].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author RedShifted
    Of course you can have a passive income. No doubt about it.

    I have 3 income streams right now that are about 90% passive. Although they are not my main income streams, they still = roughly half of all the money I make.

    Then there is my main income stream, which is about half way passive.

    Can you set up nothing but passive streams of income? Definitely!

    Do I think that you're in a situation to do this? Unfortunately, no.

    A major part of the reason why I was able to set up these funnels, was time. I mean having every minute of every day to do exactly what I needed.

    If I did not have the time, I think I would have certaintly gave up.

    Because I had all the time in the world, I was able to focus like a laser on what I was doing. If there were interuptions in my life like "go to work, focus on this, focus on that... come home, focus on something completely different, find the motivation/energy to actually do it etc etc", I probably couldn't do it.

    Having the physical energy is one thing. But mental energy is completely different. You can feel like you have the energy, but stress is absolutely HORRIBLE for productivity. Stress creates major inefficiencies. Stress is distracting. It ruins your focus. It ruins your confidence etc etc.

    Like I said I had very little stress, and it was a major benefit. I don't want to say it would be impossible for you to succeed, but I think it will be pretty close to impossible. The human brain is only meant to be effective/efficient for a short period of time each day. So if you're spending most of your time working, I just don't see it happening. You'll have no rest/recovery periods, you'll become stressed out, and it you'll find too many reasons to give up.

    -Red
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7887282].message }}
  • Originally Posted by earlgray View Post

    I've been looking for some time for an honest passive income stream.

    .
    It's just another myth, trash. In internet marketing you probably have to be more active than anywhere else. Maybe it happens to the skilled writer, who publishes a book and then makes thousands, and keeps cashing in while leaving for Bahamas. And even for a good writer, takes months and loads of hard work to write a book. A good one, at least.

    I don't know a lot about IM, and am a beginner, but am getting the idea.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7887471].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mogulmap
    Originally Posted by earlgray View Post

    I've been looking for some time for an honest passive income stream.

    Like most people, I have a busy lifestyle. I work 40+ hours a week, I'm studying for an MA part time, I have a family, I take my health (and exercise) seriously. Plus my daily commute to and from work is a staggering 2 hours.

    I don't mean to make excuses, but I don't have a lot of free time. I've looked into building ad sites or affiliate sites. And the amount of time it takes to build and maintain them would equal a whole second job that I just don't have time for.

    My definition of passive income is something that you set up once, and then it continues to generate income for you with little or no extra time to maintain. I don't think IM fits that definition. The guys I know that have truly replaced their jobs and now do IM full time, essentially put in the same time and hours (or more) as their previous jobs. It's not passive if you have to put in 40 hours a week to make it work. From what I've learned, that's what it takes to be a success at this.

    Anyone else agree? I don't question that IM is a legitimate job and it may even provide the freedom to work for yourself instead of others. But it isn't passive.
    Its deffinetly not passive in the beginning unless you have capital to start outsourcing then you can manage the business instead of working it.
    Signature
    Rus Sells says...
    Your signature is all that matters!
    and
    Cat's = PROFIT"S
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7887492].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PatriciaS
    I have a stream of passive income -- it's rather small, but considering it was "set and forget," I'm very pleased with it and proud of it too.

    I have two small books on Kindle. I've never done any real promotion. I don't even have but one or two reviews. And yet this past month they generated me just under $100. NOT exactly an "income," but considering how little I put into it, I'm very pleased. I should do two things: (1) some actual promotion including get some reviews and (2) write some more.

    I should point out -- while they're fairly thin books, they're meaty and quite useful. They're not just fluff. They're not thrown-together PLR (which Amazon doesn't really accept anyway). They're not the kind of "write it in 2 hours or less" trash I see promoted here in WSOs. From my POV, if your only interest in Kindle is money, then create a Clickbank product instead.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7887495].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    There is a lot of work involved on every aspect of your online business.

    Even what is a passive income online needs organization and promotion, if not all the time, at least once in a while.







    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7888301].message }}

Trending Topics