Random Updates: Income, #bloggerdiet, Travels

Today, I thought I would write up a little “random update” post. Instead of getting on my soapbox.

October has been a busy month. So, here we go…

Income Report – Short Form

So, no fancy graphs or anything, but just an update (since people still seem to dig this stuff).

In general, my online business has been coasting through this summer like it has most every other summer – slow and steady. I’m not sure what it is, but the summer always tends to be slower in terms of income for my business. It has been that way for years, and in talking to a few of my entrepreneur friends, it seems I’m not alone.

The monthly gross is as follows:

• June 2010 – $15,114.33
• July 2010 – $10,287.90
• August 2010 – $13,237.35
• September 2010 – $7,472.88

As always, I want to make clear that this is GROSS. Not take-home pay.

Some may wonder why I say the summer is slow with figures like that. Well, I track two different sides of the coin. One is actually revenue GENERATED. The other is revenue COLLECTED. The figures above are collected, which means some of that income was generated in the months prior and I just happen to get paid for it then. During those same summer months, I’ve seen drops in ad revenue from my tech site. Also, the current class of Blog Masters Club ended, so that revenue stream dried up. October is going to end up over the $9K mark, but if it weren’t for the membership promotion I ran while at Blogworld, it would have been down.

This seems to be the typical summer flow, perhaps coupled with a little more focus on my part on future stuff rather than current stuff. I’ve got plenty planned, so not worried about it at all, really. More on that below…

My October Travels

I spent about two weeks this month on the go. First, it was Las Vegas for Blogworld Expo, then back to Florida for 3 days, then off to Phoenix for the Product Launch Formula event, then back home.

Both events were a success for me. Blogworld, as you know, is my can’t-miss event of the year. It was great to hang out with so many of my online friends in person. Plus, it was also an honor to be speaking at the event for the first time.

The PLF event was a completely different beast. It attracts a crowd of real entrepreneurs and marketers… and this is distinctly different than the majority at Blogworld. See, there are bloggers who are entrepreneurs, and they are the bloggers who often end up speaking at the event. But, the majority of attendees are still trying to ramp up to that. Bloggers are all over social media… the PLF guys have an entirely different perspective on things like Twitter.

In short, I think it is really valuable to go to events in both camps. I’m a blogger who bridges the worlds of blogging and internet marketing, and that shows in the events I attend as well. I think it is valuable.

#BloggerDiet

Ah, yes, the notorious B-I-G… aka, me. So, before my October traveling, I publicly committed to starting the Power 90 program and losing weight. I put it off until after my travels were over because I knew it would be a nightmare to begin right then. A few people harped on me for procrastinating, but – whatever. It was the right decision.

But, now that I’m back – it’s on! I’m only 3 days in, and today’s workout will be number #4. Yes, I’m sore. But, I’m still enjoying it (strangely enough) and I feel good.

It is a good feeling, too, because I don’t feel like such a sloth when I sit at the computer and work during the day. As a blogger, this is a good balance. Our jobs have a lot of sitting, so I think you need to exercise to keep from rotting.

Also, there are obvious parallels between exercising and the dedication you need to succeed in an online business. Because exercise isn’t always fun, but you stick to it and take action. Sounds alot like business, doesn’t it? I’m fully expecting my business to kick ass during this period of increased exercise. I can think faster and I think it all goes together.

I’ll be updating my Twitter account with #bloggerdiet updates periodically. And, yes, I’ll use the #bloggerdiet hashtag just for my own edification.

Moving Ahead

Right now, I am prepping up for a relaunch of Blog Masters Club. We’re putting some awesome stuff together for that.

I also have a few new mini-courses I’m going to be making – some paid and some free. Registered a few new domains for those, and I’m going to be tackling head-on some of the biggest constraints that I constantly hear from bloggers who fill out my surveys. So, stay tuned for that, too.

I’m also putting more emphasis on systematizing and building out my team. We’re getting systems and procedures set up inside of Basecamp so that, as I bring on specific outsourcers, there is no confusion as to how to proceed with them. In the past, I’ve brought on people then under-utlilized them because I was too disorganized. So, that’s going to change. As I said in my post from PLF, it is time to think bigger. And I’m doing exactly that.

So, there you have it.