Failed the 30DC 3 years in a row but I did make some $$

[Umit]

I'm not sure where to start. I'm not the guy to post in forums actively so this is weird for me.

Anyway, I started the 30DC back in 2007. I happen to stumble upon a video on YouTube which brought me to the 30DC website. I started late and didn't manage to make my first dollar within the 30DC, nor after the 30DC. The site I made wasn't a success and I let the domain expire.

It's 2008 and I this time I really wanted to make my first dollar within the 30 days and just like 2007, I didn't manage to make my first dollar within or even after the 30 days. But the domain I bought was a nice one and ranked well. The website attracted something between 20-40 visitors per day. I thought I might do something with this domain/website some day and decided to renew the domain so it wouldn't expire.

It's 2009 and the challenge is just over and you guessed it right. I didn't manage to make my first dollar yet again. So frustrating. I'm not sure where I go wrong all the time, but it's certain I'm doing something wrong. 3 years in a row and not a single dollar made.

Sounds horrible right? Wrong. Let me explain why the 30DC hasn't been horrible for me.

In 2009 Ed introduced Flippa to the challengers. The moment I saw Flippa, I was shocked. I thought "Can it really be this easy to sell your website"? And it turns out that it IS easy to sell your website.

Remember the website I kept in 2008's challenge? I sold it. For over a year I hadn't done anything to the website and still managed to sell it for $146. Minus the expenses it still leaves me with something near $100 profit. Not too bad if you ask me.

But it gets even better. Remember me failing in 2007? Well, even though I failed in 2007, it still pushed me to create a blog. And with the tactics I learned in 2007's challenge. I managed to attract around 200-300 visitors per day to the blog. The first month or 2, I wrote quite often for that blog, but after that I left it as it is. But thanks to the lessons I learned during the challenge, the blog still managed to attract traffic for over a year. I didn't manage to monetize it, but guess what? Flippa.

Just like the blog from 2008 I sold, I sold this blog. And this time I sold it for $564! That's 2 blogs I sold thanks to the 30DC.

Wait, it gets even better! Remember Ed and Dan saying you got to pick a niche you're passionate about? Well, as usual, they were right. Right before the 2009 challenge started (during pre-season), I created a website. Picked a topic I was passionate about and with the lessons I learned and techniques in 2007, 2008 and 2009 I managed to create a website which attracts about 300 visitors per day in its second month.

With the tools I got introduced to thanks to the 30DC, I'm all over the market. I know everything that's going on which I'm thrilled about and I'm creating content in that market, which is VERY important according to Ed. Who said "If you're not creating content in your niche, the future doesn't look bright for you" Something like that (don't quote me on that).

The website I'm running has a blog, a forum and the traffic is growing rapidly. It's not making me money yet, but at this rate, its only a matter of time and the right products I need to find. And if all fails, Flippa

To make this long story short. You never fail with the 30 day challenge if you are serious about making money. If you fail within the first 30 days, don't give up. As you read above, you never know how things will turn out.

I want to thank Ed, Dan and the rest of the team for creating the 30 day challenge, it will make my life better, just wait.

[wbthom]

Umit what a brilliant post - the idea of the 30DC is to learn the processes involved in making an online business. Once you have learned the lessons how you apply them is completely up to you and you seem to have done so brilliantly.

The challenge part is only about making your $1 inside the 30 days but you can NEVER be a failure if the lessons you learn serve you well into the future!

Bill