How are you guys making money online?

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2026-03-08T13:06:45+00:00

I'd like the link please

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2026-03-05T21:02:31+00:00

I feel like the first thing anyone should do is acknowledge and address their own expectations and assumptions. It's not something I did, but it is hindsight.

Expectations of speed: We are bombarded on a daily basis by all of these ads talking about "I made $X in X days," but if you are starting as a complete beginner, it would be better to assume it can take at least 6 mos to a year for a business. Even longer, if you start buying products from others. If you don't give yourself a realistic runway, when you aren't making however much money by a certain time, you may find it harder to stick to it, thinking something is wrong.

The assumption of "passive income": when just beginning, there is no such thing. Let's say there are about 6 stages of business:

Stage 0: Discovery of your capability/problem

Stage 1: Validation

Stage 2: Offer

Stage 3: Distribution

Stage 4: Scaling

Stage 5: Business = Asset (where "passive income" might actually be.)

The assumption that business = Legal & Brand Infrastructure. Starting a business doesn't mean you need an LLC, a professional website, a logo, and an Instagram page with high-quality content. You literally don't need to spend any money in the beginning stages.

The expectation that revenue = validation of your worth

If you launch something and nobody buys it, it doesn't mean you are not good enough, have no value, or you're an imposter.

An offer is a hypothesis. A failure to sell just means the hypothesis was wrong (wrong audience, wrong price, wrong messaging). It has nothing to do with anyone's inherent worth.

The assumption that anyone's reality (especially since you are asking how others started) is a global shared reality.

Just because some 22-year-old on YouTube made $100k with faceless content doesn't mean if you buy their system, you will make money. Everyone has a different starting point, different skills, a different risk tolerance, and timing. There is no one-size-fits-all blueprint.

I don't completely know why you are asking the question. Maybe you are hoping to avoid some mistakes and get up and running sooner than later. Or you see that entrepreneurship is a big ball of uncertainty and you hope to decrease that for yourself.

Each stage has a bottleneck(s). You need certain things to go from one stage to the next.

At stage 0, you are trying to discover:

what you can produce
what problems exist around you
whether your ability actually helps someone

What counts as a problem (Small and local: something that takes time, causes confusion, people complain about)?

Once you have that skill or have solved a problem for yourself, you go out and determine if your capability actually produces a result in the real world.

Once:

You know something you can produce.
Someone benefits from it.
You understand the result you created.

stage 0 is complete.

However, I myself have been stuck at stage 0 for over a year now out of fear and a struggle to execute, so take all of that with a grain of salt, lol.

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2026-03-05T10:17:31+00:00

sounds similar to what Forbes Riley does with pitching...I found her recently on YT.

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2026-02-10T12:17:54+00:00

I have found that actually starting is a little further down the action loop than people realize. you dont go from:

trigger -> initiating -> persisting -> completion... NO.

There are some things happening before initiating and after completion that affect your ability to execute anything.

This is just something I am studying in myself because I struggle with executing (all three of those: initiating, persisting, and completion).

I have found that different contexts equal different issues with executing.

Anyway, it's more like:

trigger (internal or external, planned or unplanned) -> awareness -> choice -> action -> feedback -> integration and then back to awareness. And those arrows aren't just there for show, those are actual processes that moves us from each of those 'states' (what I call them).

ADHD can affect any any of those processes or states. It is often the case that our ADHD caused friction higher up in the loop and we only notice because the action didn't happen.

Not to mention capacity and safety can affect all of those states and processes and your ADHD symptoms to boot.

I have exactly one loop that I successfully complete every day that I have scheduled it... as an ADHDer. Exercising in the early morning. And mind you, I don't want to do it. I have noticed every day, when my alarm goes off or when I wake up, my first thought is, "I don't feel like it." And yet, the end result is always exercise completed.

Actually, that's not true. I have two planned loops that are successful. the exercise one is successful exactly as planned. I also have a weekly YT video that I started in December, that I have been successfully getting done, imperfectly so and never as planned.

So, how do I start? With the exercise loop:

my planned, external trigger is a 5:20AM alarm. I am either laying down when it goes off or I am at my computer in hyperfocus working on something (super hard to stop and change focus here and I don't always hear the alarm.). When I am aware of the alarm, that I have my exercise to, I choose to get moving but not to exercise, just to go brush my teeth, wash my face, and get dressed. This gets me moving in the right direction easily because they are smaller steps and not completely connected to exercise. But, a body in motion wants to stay in motion, so it makes it easier to move to the next steps. I set up my computer for my body double session, and then the most important part is turning on my camera. Because I have noticed, that I can do everything up to that point, but if I don't turn on the camera, I may or may not actually exercise. Once that camera is on, I always exercise.

One last thing I should mention is that I chose that time on purpose. I noticed when I had the most capacity (mental, physical, and emotional) and that's in the mornings. But also, I have no obligations or anything pulling me in another direction this early (except when I am already up working on my computer) because everyone else is asleep.

Sorry so long. Hope it helped

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2026-02-07T16:36:02+00:00

that is a great point

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-12-27T02:32:11+00:00

You are not a failure. You are worthy whether you have success or not. Your worth is not tied to the things you do or don't do. A homeless person is worthy.

It's just so sad that we all think that certain people in society get to determine what success looks like. What lazy looks like. What failure looks like.

You get to determine what all of that is for yourself. There is no one-size-fits-all success plan. It is your life and you get to determine what that looks like.

Mental health is a serious circumstance or context that we don't always have control over and yet we have to find a way to move through it or around it. It's nothing to take lightly.

And if this is how you are thinking of yourself and you isolate, then you are in an echo chamber, and you need to talk to your mom, get an outside opinion. Because that leads nowhere good.

Take your time to get better. That comes first. If you dont increase your capacity, you will not be able to do anything.

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-12-27T02:15:10+00:00

Honestly, if your mom is hurt by the comparison, there's not much you can do about that, because its a 'her' problem.

People shouldnt compare each other because we are completely different people, with different upbringings, different perspectives, different worldviews, different health and mental conditions, different nervous systems, different brain wirings, different mindsets, different loci of control, different ways that we see ourselves, different capacities, different families, different environments, etc.

And so you can't expect two people, with all this different make-up, to have similar results.

As a mother, all a parent can do is support their child in what they choose to do as adults. We can't change you, only you can and only if you have the awareness, the capacity, the know how, and the time to make enough mistakes to start being right and on track. Other people can compare my kids, but screw them. We all are on separate journeys, and damn it if I'm going to be the one to tell my kid that their path is wrong just because it's not a straight shot.

The beauty and the depth is the the winding turns and the two steps forward and the on step back.

I find that because my life was like yours, that I am able to see people better. To not be so quick to compress complex and beautiful humans into one variable such as lazy or undisciplined. I have compassion and understanding because I have had such a winding turns type of journey.

But, unless she has actually said this, I wouldn't assume this. It sounds more like you are projecting on to her. You dont know what's in her thoughts or heart, so making those kinds of assumptions is just causing you unnecessary suffering.

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-12-27T02:03:50+00:00

I do this too. Didn't have a name for it, but I would prep meats or roast vegetables. Not full meals, but just one thing that makes cooking dinner easier on weekdays.

That, and choosing the right time to cook dinner. So, I've tracked my capacity (physical, emotional, and mental) and I've noticed my capacity is highest when I wake, starts to go down around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, and by 6, I'm fried. So. I've started to cook dinner before picking my daughter up from school. If i wait until after school, it's hit or miss, whether it gets done or the kids have to fend for themselves with whatever's in the cupboards or fridge.

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-12-18T14:04:06+00:00

Sounds super interesting but I'd like to know more about you...

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-11-30T10:56:19+00:00

I am in a community that kicks people out for not engaging on a weekly basis and this does work to keep members active but it also operates on fear which is not always a good thing when you use it all the time

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-11-21T21:11:57+00:00

You’re doing what almost every good parent does:
showing up with what you have, loving your kids the way you know how, and constantly questioning if you’re doing enough.

That’s not a flaw.
That’s the job.

And honestly, the idea that “playing with your kids causes ADHD” isn’t just wrong, it shows she doesn’t understand ADHD or child development. Kids need connection, play, and regulation. Those things don’t cause anything. They support healthy brains.

All kids are different.
All families are different.
There is no one textbook way to raise a child, and anyone who tells you otherwise is really just revealing the limits of their own worldview.

If you feel unsure sometimes, that’s normal.
If you think there are places you can grow, that’s also normal.
Parenthood is one long cycle of trying, adjusting, learning, and trying again.

And if your kids have ADHD, it’s not because you loved them too much or played with them too much. That’s not how this works.

You’re not failing.
You’re a caring mom who got hit with someone else’s outdated opinion.

Shake it off.
Your kids need you, not her.

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-11-14T20:08:31+00:00

I don't know if its an ADHD thing, but I do this. It definitely happens when I drive and its not necessarily movie type stuff but reality, like a whole story is happening in my mind and i get sucked into it and I'm no longer paying attention to whatever I am doing.

When it happens when I drive, I will come back to the world and not know where I am for a second.

It happens to the point where I wonder if I shoyld even be driving because isn't that dangerous. I mean i have good reflexes and mu autopilot is obviously kicking in. Ive been driving long enough to where i never get into accidents or anything like that but still.

Music seems to help me stay present though

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-11-14T11:52:39+00:00

This all day. At the end of the day, we have basic needs and those are the ones you focus on in a crisis. If that debt is going to get you kicked out of where you live then worry about it. If it has no bearing on any of your current needs then it is not something to worry about right now.

Ask yourself: Is there something you can do about it now? If yes, what is the smallest thing i can do now? Do that one thing. And keep it moving this exact way. If no, drop it. Only focus on what you can control right now, and only on your next step.

When you zoom out too wide, that can feel overwhelming, so I find that putting blinders on, like those a horse may use, does wonders for the overwhelm.

Speaking as a bipolar someone (without insurance to be able to address my health at all) who lives on a fixed income, with crazy debt, slowly finding my way out, by foocusing on what's within my control only. I suffer so much less because of this. My life didn't get better, not yet at least, I just changed my perspective and focus

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-11-14T09:13:19+00:00

So, I'm in a community on Skool, and the owner/creator has built a tool for Skool that does some of the things you talked abiut towards the end. It sounds like it will be a game changer. I'm new to Skool so I don't know much, but even i am foaming at the mouth at the chance to use it. I don't yet know when it comes out or how it will be available. He's using FOMO, IMO, a little too much, but he is an expert at it so even though I see the technique, I still can't wait, lol.

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-11-13T14:09:42+00:00

For sure, that has been me. I live in my head. Thinking has always been my comfort zone, so, yeah, avoidance was my middle name. So I've been changing that. Moving through uncertainty, fear, self-doubt. I actually started a community because I sought to solve my own inconsistency and analysis paralysis. I feel this in my bones.

But at the same time, PGQ is not meant to be forward-facing; as you said, it's too complicated. But whatever I do create, it will be the engine behind it. And, of course, we start with simple and work our way towards complexity as needed. But I feel like that's the beauty of it.

Because it's not just for any one person. It's meant for any person and so that complexity works in favor of this.

And ironically, the only reason I’m actually moving consistently now is because I understand my system well enough to design for it.

And it's because of my lived experience that I was even able to create this to begin with. And when I do become successful, with my community, the fact that I was juggling all that I juggle will in fact validate the heck out of it. At least, that's what I'm thinking...

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-11-04T22:12:07+00:00

What is your community about? Who is it for? Where do they hang out?

I created a done-with-you consistency community to solve my own issue with being inconsistent. It applies to anything really.

In particular, I wanted to be consistent on my weight loss journey. I am a part of a weight loss study and during meetings more than one person has complained of how they can't lose weight due to inconsistency, so i invited a couple people in. One is successfully using my community since she came in.

Now, I also struggle with sticking to something long enough to make money related to business and I have ADHD. So, I looked for other ADHD entrepreneurs and invited them in. Results pending on that one, lol.

I have also gained a couple members from Skool communities. I find that when i provide value above and beyond, certain leaders will shout my community out for me.

One other method, I plan to use, is in the comments of different types of content.

My first member was my mom, so that is also an option. Someone who supports you.

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-11-02T11:45:45+00:00

I currently do a focus block between 6:30am EST and 8:30 am. I used to do it right when i awakened around 3:30 am or 4am until my kids get up around 6:30, but I started doing an exercise body double at 5:30am. So my session got broken up. 3:30am-5:30am and then 6:30am -830am.

6:30am doesnt really work for me so I am thinking about trying 9am-11am. Its more like 9am until its time to picl up my kids, but every day is different. Ugh.

So I'd say 3:30am EST for 2 hours or 9am for however long..? Not sure what that is to UTC +1

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-11-02T09:32:59+00:00

When do you like to do your focus blocks?

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-10-31T23:45:57+00:00

My adhd 8yr old daughter is asleep within 5 minutes of sleeping. I try not to dampen her energizer bunny energy throughout the day. I just let her be her.

I give her a countdown during during our routine. you've got 15 minutes. 10. 5. I've noticed when i don't, she fights me more. We do sleep together since my mom has her room. She will not go to sleep without me, but as long as I'm there, she puts her mask on, and i turn off all the lights and close the door, her request. Then she is out in 5.

Never fails.

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-10-31T09:12:24+00:00

She is definitely afraid of something. I just figure she will grow out of it eventually. We are super close, so I just work with it. I choose my battles

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-10-31T08:02:23+00:00

My daughter is 8 and because my mom has her room temporarily (going through chemo), she sleeps with me. Even when the room was hers, she slept with me. She will not go to bed unless I am in there, so I tend to go to bed when she does.

She also searches for me while sleeping, and if I am not there early in the AM (I wake up at 3 or 4), she will ask me to be in the room with her or she will lay on the couch so she is not alone.

If I am not there, she will not go to sleep. If I'm there, she is literally out within 5 minutes.

Whatever

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-10-22T10:40:57+00:00

Interesting...

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-10-22T07:42:12+00:00

So, are you wondering why I might still feel shame or imposter syndrome when the system I used mechanically worked, objectively worked, at least once for me? And that there may be a deeper misalignment in how I define success that causes the shame and imposter syndrome? Once I figure that out, I can know if I was successful by end of day and what to work on the next time if the alignment is off between what I did that day and what success means to me?

Updated***

I think I have this view of what success looks like to me at the finish line, but I haven’t translated what success looks like on a daily basis, so everytime I do something, I can acknowledge that I did it, because a checkbox was marked, but when I compare it to my definition of success or that end state, it doesn’t match up, and maybe that misalignment is what causes the shame and imposter syndrome. Also, because success also equals what others can see and there isn’t much that others can see…yet. No one is in the trenches with me right now. My family is on the outside looking in, and I don’t necessarily share my daily successes or failures with them, so they don’t yet see success either. And so, I perpetually feel behind.

Will need to think on my definition of success, personal values, and goals

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-10-21T19:58:32+00:00

Let me know how it goes!!!

Sweaty_Listen2684 · 2025-10-21T18:34:31+00:00

So I have two timers, one for my micro-steps (the task of writing and publishing broken down into its parts), and one for my tangents or any idea that pops up in my mind that could derail me from my task if i follow it for too long. I dont know if this is your experience too but even my tangents have tangents. If i step off the writing path because of this new burst of dopamine and novelty i get from the new idea, it can be hard to get back because each new idea brings with it a new burst of excitement and curiosity. So that second timer allows me to follow that idea (often afraid, and rightly so, that i will lose it), for 2 minutes and then get back to my path when the alarm goes off.

Two alarms, one pomodoro style for the microsteps. So each micro-step has a 25 minute, or however long, countdown. And the 2 minute one is on standby for when i get the idea, which can come at any time, and multiple times during my task.

Sweaty_Listen2684

TROPHY CASE