How I Left the Rat Race (And You Can Too)
Glen / 
42 Comments / 
June 1st, 2009 / 
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I’m a 20 year old college drop-out expected to make around $15,000 this month. There, I said it. I wanted to get all the ego bullsh*t out of the way so we can get onto the real content. This is not a post for me to brag, far from it. Instead, it is a post to help people see what is possible, and hopefully allow you to follow in my footsteps.
What I’m going to share with you today is a guide that my best (real life) friends have used to add hundreds of dollars per month to their income. Online strangers have used this guide to feed their families and anyone who follows it can apply the steps to help them leave the rat race.
My Quick, Personal Story
I have been looking for ways to make money for as long as I can remember. For some reason, probably the child in me, I have always had this feeling that I will become a millionaire (not that this really matters to me). I remember building my first website when I was 15 about computer tips; I added a link to Paypal so that people could pay me and the idea was that I would give them access to my other articles.
I sat back and waited to get rich. I told all my friends and family that I would never need a job because I had found my income solution. Of course, nothing happened. Nobody came to the site and even if they did, the awful design would have probably turned them away.
Over the next 4 years I honed my skills, I got my name out there and I (or should I say, my website) was featured in the book DJ’ing for Dummies. I was also featured on 9 of the top 100 blogs in the world according to Technorati; all of this happening before I even had the idea to build PluginID.
In those 4 years I built so many disastrous websites that it would be nothing short of embarrassing to go back over my list and see what I created. Yet, through trial and a lot of error, I was able to quit my day job in January of this year.
The job that I quit, by the way, was a dream job for me. A job that I had quit college for and moved across the world for. Still, no matter how amazing a job may seem, I still don’t think anything can beat being your own boss.
How Did I Do It?
In order to land my dream job, I have already shared the principles that took me from an average Joe to an expert in my industry. Quitting my job to work for myself is something completely different though. It would be obvious for me to share principles such as “work hard”, “stay positive” and “don’t give up” but that still doesn’t help you achieve a boss-free life. You need to be motivated and you need to know what you’re going to do to provide you with an income.
There is just one thing that I can credit my success in this area: having a burning desire to leave the rat race.
That’s it. I had a strong passion to work for myself, to work my own hours and be in an industry where there are an abundance of people my age and even younger making 5 figures every single month. If you can get this drive to succeed in any area of your life, then the sky really is the limit.
It then helps to have an idea of what you want to do, but if you can grow your desire enough, you’ll literally start seeking out ideas and alternatives naturally.
My actual income, if you haven’t guessed already, all comes via the internet. I get funds wired to my bank account and regularly receive checks from companies like Google, Clickbank and others. I make money online, but I do feel a bit uneasy about helping others do the same. There is a good reason for that though…
The ‘Make Money Online’ Industry is a Scam
I had hesitated to write this post, simply because people telling others how to make money online is usually thought of as something slimy and unethical. It’s quite ironic that one of the best ways to make money online is to teach others how to make money online. This is why there are literally thousands of bloggers telling you how to do it, even though they don’t do it themselves.
The industry, in general, is very devious. Even when I started writing a genuine guide for my friends, they would always email me or message me on Facebook with the link to the latest fad asking if it would work. Even though I was putting together this no-nonsense guide for them, they were still curious about whether these “overnight riches” systems would help them succeed.
I mean, after-all, they have screenshots and video proof. (Sarcasm)
There are some good guides out there, but I have no doubt that they are in the minority. I have been in this industry for four years and rarely come across something I want to purchase or would recommend to others.
In general, the make money online industry is a scam.
My Guide Is Not
There were months in South Africa where I was making far more money working a couple of hours per week on my own projects than I was in my full-time job. One day a colleague was sitting next to me while I was showing them something on my laptop and I was literally getting a flood of new emails from Paypal, my payment processor.
The subject title’s read: “New payment received”, “New payment received”, “New payment received” – they just wouldn’t stop coming in. I had earned about $250 in the space of 10 minutes; even while I was working on my normal job. Of course, my colleague started asking me lots of questions and I promised them that one day I would write a guide on what I do.
I was slow on the uptake, but this guide was finally finished about three weeks ago. I didn’t want to post about it here until I knew it was complete and people made money…
…and trust me; people made money.
My guide was a hands-on case study of myself taking a brand new website from scratch, and laying down all the details of how I was going to make money with it.
In 30 days of the live case study, which includes videos, thousands of words and detailed images, I made $850.
I wasn’t the only one though, I received dozens of thank you emails from people who followed the guide and started making cash…
Click Here to Read My “$850 in 30 Days” Case Study
“Can I Trust You?”
My obvious response to that would be “Yes”, but I’m actually saying no. Don’t trust me. Instead, let the results and my guide speak for themselves. The guide in total comprises of 11 parts and it will take you around 2 hours to go through everything.
I reveal my website and the exact steps I take to make money online. I perform the same tactics that are shared in the guide across a large number of industries, and that is why I was able to quit my day job. This isn’t some get-rich-quick scheme; successful ones simply don’t exist. I do however, honestly believe that with around 4-5 hours of solid work, you can make your first $100 this month online.
This is all completely legitimate and the finer details are all explained on the site. At the bottom of each post there is a link to the next section and they all follow on from each other in the order they should be actioned. The maximum investment you will need to make is $5 per month for a host and maybe $9 (one-off payment) for a domain. If you already have hosting and a domain you want to use then you can follow the guide without having to make an investment.
And, just to clear a few things up:
- You do not need any technical skills, this is written for a complete beginner
- As long as you can edit a text file on your PC, you can follow this guide
- I put this guide together for my close friends, it wasn’t originally supposed to be promoted
If you have any questions about any part of the guide, please ask over on HQHow. I recommend that you start at part one and then follow along. You don’t have to take action, but I honestly believe this is one of the best guides on the internet for beginners, and it is absolutely free.
Click Here to Read My “$850 in 30 Days” Case Study
If you enjoyed this post, I would appreciate if you share it on Twitter, Facebook or Delicious!
Glen, first off, it is not “ego bullsh^t” — it is a fact, and you are not bragging at all. As a matter fact, you are one of the humblest people I’ve ever met.
As far as making money online is concerned, I agree to some extent it is a scam, or t least, most of the MMO (Make Money Online) bloggers make it look like a scam. But as you said it is a legitimate business. However, takes a lot of hard work, dedication and MOTIVATION to to be able to make a living online and everyone who is new to the field MUST understand that. It doesn’t look easy as it seems.
I’ve already read the guide and it is great. You’ve but a lot of work into it, and I’ve start implementing some of the ideas on one of my poorly monetized websites (I think you know which one — the satellite tv forum). I’m moving to Perugia, Italy soon and so I’ll be living on my own. This will hopefully allow me to concentrate more on my online and reach a new milestone — maybe more than $15,000 per month lol
Hey Adam, thanks a lot for the kind words as always.
I’ll definitely try my best to make it out to Italy if you’re still there in 2010, unless you’re doing something cool for New Year then I’ll join you?
I wish I could stay in Italy until New Year, but I’ll have to go back to North Africa at the end of Sept. Anyways, we’ll definitely meet in South Africa for the World Cup.
OK man no worries, I’ll look forward to it!
Great post. I love your honesty and your ability to share your personal story. You should be proud of yourself!
Hey Dani,
Thanks for the comment. I’m actually very critical of myself, but I’m sure my mom is proud
Glen, I am truly impressed… first with your dedication and determination, then with your results, and mostly with your desire to share what you have learned (for free). I do have the distinct impression that most people who want to teach us how to make money on line (for a fee) are scammers. If they already make SO much money online, why still ask for those little fees? Why not just HELP others do the same?
I haven’t read your guide yet, so I can’t review it. But I will… I’m looking forward to it.
Thanks for all that you do for the rest of us!
Hey Mrs. Blackston,
Thanks for the awesome comment. When you do get time to check out the guide, please stop by and let me know what you think
Hi Glen,
Thank you so much for all the effort you’re putting into this project. I make money online by auctioning unique website templates over at Sitepoint. The thing with selling unique templates is once you’ve sold them, you have to create another because you cannot sell them again. Depending on my energy sometimes it takes me a while to reproduce a template.
For me you can make money online by selling your own products or by promoting someone else’s products. As much as possible I don’t want to put adsense on my blog.
I can see that your case study is all about affiliate marketing so I will definitely try this out. Thanks Glen.
This might also interest you. http://tinyurl.com/d8p8s3
I do have my own products, which bring me in 1-2,000$ every month, but I make much more by promoting the products of others.
I definitely think your business model could be better which I’m sure you know. I’ve tried my best to adopt a model where effort doesn’t directly = income, meaning that I can stop working and still make money.
I hope that it works out for you, and thanks a lot for the comment.
Glen, you’ve always been a blogger I can easily relate to. Despite geographical distance, I fell we have some core similarities. You are easy to trust. After nine months, things online are better than they’ve ever been, but I still struggle a bit more than I like to provide for a family who believes in me without pause. I will make the time to read every word you’ve written. I’m confident they’re worth it.
I Sean, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that comment, thanks a lot!
I hope the guide meets your expectations, and feel free to ask any questions along the way!
Hey Glen, this definitely sums it up for me:
“There is just one thing that I can credit my success in this area: having a burning desire to leave the rat race.”
Without that, you’ll give up WAY before you get anywhere. But really, if you don’t have that internal flame, you’re probably better of working a J-O-B anyway.
Great stuff!
**Tilting head…wait for it…wait for it…there it is!** (Inside joke)
Eric
Haha Eric, that actually made me laugh out loud.
So true, thanks a lot for the comment!
Man this post gave me chills. I too have a desire to escape the rat race (in fact I don’t even plan on ever starting the race.)
You are an inspiration Glen. I love your straight forward style and brutal honestly.
I’m so glad you have your calling in life Glen. I look forward to seeing your future successes.
Haha, hey Bud. I was going to say, you’re only 15, you might never have to enter. I picked up my first race number when I took a job delivering newspapers for my local shop
Thanks buddy!
You make some very good points about the online money making scams.
I once had an inkling to write a post for lay people on how to “spot” some of those scam landing pages you see. The ones that are written as a single post page full of bolded, highlighted and red underlined statements with snapshots of blurred out Paypal checks.
I might still do that.
I don’t mind all of them, some of them offer really good products.
Remember, the only people who read all the text on those pages are…buyers. They are written like that for a reason. Although, as you say, the majority of the offers to watch out for are written in that format.
Cheers for the comment, Frank!
Glen,
17 almost 18
Oh sorry dude, I got you mixed up with the guy from Timeless Information.
Thanks for sharing Glen. I just joined Yaro’s blog mastermind program about a month ago. I also just graduated business school and have been searching for a job, but I think it’s awesome that you’ve made this free and I could actually end up not needing by learning from the best. If there’s one thing I’ve realized is that it is not an overnight sensation, and it all takes a bit of effort and time.
Hey Srinivias, thanks for the comment.
Who says I’m not the best?
Seriously though, you’re very right, although effort and time could be severly wasted if you end up going down the wrong path.
Hey Glen,
You have opened true identity of making money online. Now all we have to do is to plug into and make real cash online
Thanks again for your valuable post.
Andreas
Hahaha, very creative. Not only creative…but very true
You’re welcome, merci pour le comment!
Hi Glen, thanks a bunch for taking the time to write your report. I have been reading PluginID for a little while now and throughly enjoy it. Concerning making money online, I make a little, but I’m ready to make the jump out of the rat race. I’d like nothing more than to work for myself.
I usually have a hard time “following” people, but I am going to make an exception this time and follow your teachings to see if I too can one day make enough money online.
I will be back in a month or so to let you know how I’m doing.
Thanks again and take care!
Richard
Hey Richard, thanks a lot for the comment and I look forward to seeing how you get on!
Hi, I downloaded your eboko somewhere and landed on this site
It was great
I am reading those e-book
after I finish
I will let all know the report
However it seems this is an honest site and owner here
I trust this guy..
regards
kum
Hey Kum, I’m glad you found the site, however it was.
I look forwad to your review
really like your view about the stuff you’ve created in the past, the trial and error “it’s done” mentality.
felt awesome reading you describe that burning desire to make life happen. something so hard to describe. you put it well. burns in my soul. always. prolly the most power and significant thing in doing anything in lie imo. really inspiring to read you talk about it like that.
*cue smoke* Screen shots and video proof. ooooh. aaaah. wow!! (as an aside, wilding p’s howtoapproachwomenhq comes to mind :p )
for everyone else, i can vouch for glen’s integrity and genunie interest in people improving. he helped me set up my site and it’s rocken non stoppen but more than anything, he genuinely cares. listen to him.
all the best
alex
Cheers for the comment dude, it’s great to see your site is growing my leaps and bounds.
And, thanks for the lovey dovey hoo har (I’ve never wrote that in my life) at the end, much appreciated!
- G Boo
Glen, I’m so pleased to see this guide. Creating a “bossless” income for myself was always a dream of mine but it’s been only recently that I see it’s feasible. There was so much phony ‘make money online’ stuff that I became rather cynical about it.
But now that I’m immersed in the blogging world, I see that there are genuine people out there doing it, without deception. I know you only through your blog, but do I already trust you. Thank you for this guide, I’m excited to work through it.
Hey David,
I’m really glad that I have inspired you to take action and see what is possible. Thanks for your trust, I’m sure my guide won’t let you down
“The industry, in general, is very devious. Even when I started writing a genuine guide for my friends, they would always email me or message me on Facebook with the link to the latest fad asking if it would work. Even though I was putting together this no-nonsense guide for them, they were still curious about whether these “overnight riches” systems would help them succeed….”
That applies to _every_ industry in the world. The weight loss industry is full of products that don’t work. The finance industry is full of products that don’t work. Heck, your own, the personal development industry is full of scam artists and fake wanna-be gurus. That doesn’t make the whole industry a scam… By your logic, the weight loss industry is a scam, and so is the PD industry.
Hi Chris, I obviously hit a nerve with you on that one.
The weight loss is mostly full of scammy products, not so much people claiming themselves to be an expert on weight loss and teaching you how to make money. In the MMO niche thousands of people have started blogs helping you to make money online, even though they make jack themselves.
In the PD and WL, you don’t see real people claiming to be who they are not, especially blogging wise (apart from splogs + flogs) just to get your hard earned $$.
I would love some examples though, you really can’t compare the industry like you just did in my opinion.
Wow, excellent read, just got done reading your case study as well. I think I know have the tools to get my website promoted and ranked higher, thank you so much for the high quality information
i agree, nice article
Great Article dude
I resigned from call center (which I believe is the highest paying industry here in the Philippines) last June 2007. I worked underground and projected a “bum” image until June 2009 when I made my first post in my blog dedicated to making money online.
Affiliate marketing is the easiest thing that you can try if you want to make money online. No physical products, no headaches.
You are right, you can make more money online by sharing how you achieve your success. Because of that proof, you gain trust and they eventually buy your recommendations.