I heard a great quote this week - ‘Now Not How.’

It was said by Noah Kagan (creator of Appsumo) while being interviewed by Tim Ferriss about his new book ‘The Million Dollar Weekend: The Surprisingly Simple Way to Launch a 7-Figure Business in 48 Hours’.

I’ll talk a bit more about the book below, but the quote refers to just starting something without worrying about the how.

This is particularly poignant since last weeks survey revealed that the biggest challenge people have when thinking about starting an online business venture is getting started.

In fact I was so impassioned by the subject I decided to dust my old podcast off, rename and rebrand for The Working Traveller and reignite it!

Here’s my first podcast episode in over 3 years!

It’s a bit raw but it epitomises ‘now, not how’! I hope it helps.

Thank You!

On that note I’d like to thank everyone who voted for the newsletter styles and took part in the survey.

The more feedback you give me, the better I can serve you!

The results of the newsletter style vote were as follows;

The magazine style is the winner!

However, ‘mini training course’ came in second and ‘Ferriss style bullet points’ 3rd, so here’s what we’re going to do.

The newsletter will retain the magazine style each week and will include an intro/update from me, a mini training section that will link to an accompanying blog post or podcast if it’s too long and a Ferriss ‘esque’ / links galore section on my most interesting relevant finds each week!

The survey was really enlightening and is a huge help in the type of content you want from me moving forward. Thanks for all your comments and suggestions, I’ve taken them all on board and will endeavour to cover topics that speak directly to your aspirations.

🎉 As promised the winner of the $25 Amazon gift card for taking part is Roland Varduhn! Congratulations Roland!

If you’d like to take part in the survey, please click the link below (it’ll take all of 30 seconds). I’d really love to learn more about you and I’ve decided that every month I’ll randomly draw one person to win a $25 Amazon gift card! (Next draw 29th February).

Click here to complete the ‘Your Journey, Your Voice’ Survey

And now….

Travel Trivia!

In the spirit of Valentines this past week;

Which city in the world features a wall where the phrase ‘I love you’ is featured in over 250 languages?

(answer at the bottom of the newsletter)

Mini Mastery - How to Use AI to Start Your Online Venture

AI is fast picking up speed and just this last week Google launched ‘Gemini’ to replace it’s now outdated ‘Bard’ chatbot, and is working hard to challenge OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Whether you love it or hate it, AI is here to stay and we are all better off getting on the train right now and building our AI skillsets!

Plus I have to say, it’s so much darn fun! Alongside the basic writing and coding tools are awe inspiring image design tools, video editing, music creation and more.

And with the right approach, and even just a basic understanding, you could be well ahead of the curve and use AI to build a fantastic online business!

There are so many ways to use AI to make money we'd be here all day if I started to list them all, so I'll just focus on one strategy you can get started with right now!

Step 1: Look For a Popular Topic or Trend

Kick off by zooming in on a super-trendy topic that’s got a dedicated following. The more hype around it, the better (like AI for example). To help, check out websites like Exploding Topics or Trends.co which highlight topics about to hit the big time.

To speed up the process stick with what you know inside-out, or are super curious about learning or immersing yourself in.

As an example right now remote working is a huge exploding topic, so you could perhaps go for something like “Productivity for Remote Workers.”

Step 2: Become a Mini-Guru Over a Weekend

With some hustle you could become a mini-expert in just a weekend!

Immerse yourself in podcasts, articles, videos, you name it. Then use ChatGPT to help you create a big list of topic ideas you can create content around.

Here's a list of 10 potential content ideas generated by ChatGPT for the topic of productivity for remote workers;

Step 3: Leverage ChatGPT for Lead Generation Ideas

Now use AI to help you generate some ideas for a valuable lead magnet, like a downloadable template or mini eBook.

ChatGPT can help you whip up something informative yet digestible. Make it a must-have item that people will happily trade their email addresses for.

Here's a list ChatGPT gave me when I prompted it for 5 lead generation ideas for productivity hacks for remote workers;

You can even get it to create the bulk of the content for you!

Step 4: Launch a Free Newsletter via Beehiiv

Start a newsletter to build your audience. Platforms like Beehiiv (where this newsletter is hosted) make it easy to create & publish fast content.

Use ChatGPT to help create great newsletter content around your topic.

Here's a list of ideas it generated when prompted to give me some newsletter topics, you can even ask it to write the newsletter for you.

Step 5: Get Consistent on Social Media

Create a Twitter (X) account, get started on TikTok, or master Facebook or Instagram; whichever one takes your fancy to be your social media stage.

Post consistently, engage with followers, and use ChatGPT to generate Twitter threads or TikTok video scripts.

Here's some tweet ideas from ChatGPT;

Remember to encourage your audience to sign up to get your free lead magnet. It's all about creating a funnel of value.

Step 6: Roll Out a Mini-Course on Courseau and Gumroad

By now, you’ve got some valuable content and a growing audience. Take it to the next level by creating a mini-course.

Courseau is great for mini course creation, and platforms like Gumroad or a quick site on Durable are fab for getting your course into the world. Also checkout The Leap by Thinkific.

Here's what ChatGPT suggested when I asked it to do me an outline for a mini course to do with productivity for remote workers.

You can also use AI tools such as Midjourney or InVideo to create promo pics & videos.

Step 7: The Never-Ending Game of Growth

It doesn't end with launching a course; that's just the beginning. Keep an eye on your analytics, listen to your audience, and refine your offerings.

The key to a sustainable business is to never stop learning, tweaking, and growing.

And there you have it, a quick guide to using AI & in particular ChatGPT to help you create content, grow an audience and generate an income.

I challenge you to do it right now and get started today! 😎

Resource Roundup

Here are some of the most interesting articles, podcasts or resources I’ve found on the web this week;

1. First up is the interview I was talking about between Tim Ferriss and Noah Kagan regards Noah’s new book. It’s a long one, but absolutely jammed with gems of information from two very experienced online entrepreneurs - http://tim.blog/2024/01/23/noah-kagan-million-dollar-weekend

2. I love the story about Sam Parr’s Mother in Law at the beginning of this episode. I’m less enamoured about the shock and awe presented that she did it in her 50’s! We’re not quite out to pasture yet guys! 🙄 - http://www.mfmpod.com/my-mom-started-a-1m-side-hustle-in-her-50s

3. This is a very cool marketing idea from Wizz Air (who incidently I’ve never heard of - I have now! Brits only I’m afraid, but what a fun way to think out of the box! - http://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/cheap-flights/wizz-air-launches-mystery-flight-32133267

4. I’ve been researching travel hacking this week (blog post coming soon) and this article popped up on my news feed. I thought you might find it useful if you’re looking for rewards programs. - http://fortune.com/recommends/credit-cards/capital-one-spark-miles-select-for-business-review

I’d love to include a recommendation to a terribly intellectual business book I’m currently reading, but I’m actually engrossed in the first Harry Potter book at the moment, which I’ve never read! No wonder JK Rowling is so successful, she’s a fantastic story teller.

TWT Blog Bites

I’ve been amending and updating some posts on the blog this week and here are some posts I thought you might enjoy;

Zero to $10k Etsy Challenge

Unfortunately I had to put this project on temporary hold the last couple of weeks due to some other priorities.

However, as I write this (on Saturday), I spent the whole of yesterday working on it! I look forward to sending out a proper update next week. Thanks for your patience! 😊

Some Free Gifts!

I’ve been working on a new welcome series when people subscribe to the newsletter to ensure subscribers get to know me a bit before you start get the weekly email.

In the final welcome email I send out, I include some PDF’s and workbooks I’ve created over the last few months, and as you signed up pre the welcome series I didn’t want you to miss out, so here they are!

• PDF Guide/Journal - 51 Actionable Tips to Start an Online Lifestyle Business You Can Run From Anywhere in the World: This is an interactive PDF guide which is not just an ebook, but a journal/workbook, so you can both read and take action at the same time! - Download Here

• 50+ Solopreneur Starter Toolkit: If you’re joining me as a 50+ nomadic solopreneur, consider this toolkit your swiss army knife for the digital world. It's packed with resources, templates, and checklists to streamline your journey. - Download Here

• The Reverse Bucket List PDF: This is a PDF I’m considering turning into a physical book and selling on Etsy so do let me know what you think of it. A reverse bucket list is where you identify all your achievements and moments of greatness before looking forward! Too often we ruminate over what we haven’t achieved and don’t celebrate how far we’ve come! - Download Here

• Exclusive Notion Goal Planner: Saving the best for last! This is not just any planner; this is the Your Lifestyle Business* physical planner (selling for $15 on Amazon) in a Notion template! Designed by my good friend and Notion expert Sandi Eveleth, it's a dynamic tool designed to help you set, track, and achieve your most ambitious goals. And it's only available here! - Open to Duplicate to Your Notion Here

*NB: Your Lifestyle Business is my sister brand, so if you see any reference to it anywhere on the docs, website etc, it’s all me. 😊

Trivia Answer

If you guessed Paris, France, you’re right of course!

But did you know they had a 'I Love You Wall' (Le Mur des Je t'aime) in the Montmartre district. (I didn’t).

It’s apparently a must-see for romantics and language enthusiasts alike, featuring 'I love you' written more than 311 times in over 250 languages.

I did the ‘love lock bridge’ (Pont Des Arts) over the River Seine many years back, and will have to add the ‘wall of love’ to my list for a future visit! ❤️

That’s All Folks

That’s it from me this week. I hope it’s been useful! It’s been a bit longer than usual due to the section about the survey and also the free gifts at the end, but I do hope you’ve enjoyed the format and found the content valuable & fun!

Thanks again for getting involved. Running a business online, creating content, and sharing experiences isn’t as much fun unless you’re doing it as part of a community.

I love hearing from you and reading about your journey, current challenges or future hopes and dreams, so don’t hesitate to reach out.

In the meantime, make sure to come and connect on the FB Page, have a fabulous week, live your best life and as always get out there and make it happen!

Jo 😊 

This weeks issue is sponsored by Bay Area Times.

Looking for visuals and charts, rather than words, to understand the daily news?

Bay Area Times is a visual-based newsletter on business and tech, with 250,000+ subscribers.

Click once to sign up for free.