Can you imagine a towering indoor waterfall, 40 meters high, right in the middle of an airport? That's the Rain Vortex at Changi's Jewel, the tallest of its kind in the world.

A vivid demonstration of Singapore's 'City in a Garden,' vision, it’s part of one of the most beautiful airports and shopping destinations in the world!

The aptly named Jewel at Changi Airport provides both nature-themed entertainment and a huge retail complex all on your way to check-in!

I tell you this as I’m currently in Singapore. My husband returned from his Kokoda trek across the jungles of Papua New Guinea on Thursday, and so we’ve treated ourselves to a few days in one of my favourite cities.

Checkout the FB page for more pics and videos.

From waterfalls to deserts, Here’s what I have for you today;

1. Travel Trivia - mushroom shaped rocks…

2. Mini Mastery - How this niche blog bootstrapped to a $7M a year ecommerce and media empire

3. TWT - Blog Bites - How to start a travel blog and more…

4. Mindset Matters - Problem solving with the ‘5 Whys’

5. That’s All Folks!

Travel Trivia!

In which country can you visit a surreal landscape featuring towering, mushroom-shaped rock formations that have been naturally sculpted by wind and rain over millions of years?

(answer at the bottom of the newsletter)

Mini Mastery - How Epic Gardening Bootstrapped to a $7M a year Ecommerce and Media Empire

Kevin Espiritu is the founder of Epic Gardening, a popular gardening website, YouTube channel, podcast and e-commerce business that helps people learn how to create & nourish beautiful gardens.

He's built a thriving online business around his passion for gardening, and has bootstrapped all the way from a small niche blog in 2016 to a $7 million a year e-commerce & media empire today.

Here's a breakdown of Kevin's journey plus actionable steps you can take to follow in his footsteps:

Step 1: Identify a niche you'd love to immerse yourself in, are curious about, or are naturally good at. 

Kevin clearly had a love for gardening and between jobs decided to start a niche blog about gardening. His goal was to grow it to match his job income. 

Actionable Step: Reflect on your curiosities, interests and strengths to identify a niche you genuinely enjoy. The more interested you are in the niche, the more motivated you’ll be and able to create authentic content that resonates with your audience.

Step 2: Start creating content and sharing your knowledge

Kevin began sharing his gardening experiences and knowledge on his blog Epic Gardening, consistently posting helpful content for his growing audience.

Actionable Step: Choose a content platform (blog, YouTube, podcast, TikTok etc.) and start creating valuable content related to your niche. Focus on providing actionable advice, tips, and strategies that help your audience achieve their goals.

Step 3: Expand your content and audience reach

Epic Gardening started to grow rapidly, with ~300% year-over-year revenue growth from 2016-2019. (Income coming from display ads, brand sponsorship deals, affiliate marketing). Kevin expanded his content offerings by starting the Epic Gardening Podcast, YouTube channel, and Instagram to reach a wider audience and cater to different media formats.

Actionable Step: Diversify your content formats and platforms to reach a broader audience. Experiment with audio, video, and social media to find what resonates best with your target audience.

NB: I’m unsure when Kevin started to build his email list, but I strongly recommend you do this before diversifying across too many social channels. Always remember your email list is yours. The content you post socially is subject to platform algorithms. 

Step 4: Monetize your audience 

In 2019, Kevin made a critical move by selling physical products directly to his audience. He was already making money via an affiliate offer for raised beds, so he found his own metal raised bed supplier, started featuring his own products in his content, and created the Epic Gardening Shop to sell them directly to his passionate gardening audience.

Actionable Step: Consider ways to monetize your audience. If you have a regular stream of traffic coming to your blog, downloading your podcasts or reading your emails, what can you offer that would enhance their life?

Perhaps you add display ads to your website, sponsored ads to your podcast, or affiliate links to your emails. Maybe you create some digital products, or perhaps like Kevin you create or source your own physical product to sell. 

Step 5: Scale your business by outsourcing and hiring

In 2020, Epic Gardening's revenue grew by approximately 450% to around $2.8 million, largely due to the increased interest in gardening during the global pandemic. While a pandemic is an unprecedented event, as your business grows, start outsourcing tasks and hiring team members to accelerate your growth.

Kevin scaled Epic Gardening by hiring a full-time video editor, gardening assistant, executive assistant, and increasing his freelance writing team. This allowed him to increase content production and meet the growing demand for his products and services.

Actionable Step: As your business grows, identify tasks that can be outsourced or delegated to team members. Hire strategically to support your growth and increase your capacity to create content, serve your audience, and fulfil orders.

Your goal is to create a business you don’t have to be running 24/7. This gives you the freedom to travel and explore while continuing to grow your side hustle. 

Step 6: Continuously improve and expand your offerings

As Epic Gardening continued its meteoric rise, Kevin made strategic decisions to expand the business, such as buying a warehouse for product fulfillment and raising a Series A round of funding to scale and operationalize the company.

Actionable Step: While this may be way off in the distance at this stage or maybe not even a consideration, you should be continuously assessing your business operations to make strategic decisions to improve and expand your offerings. You might simply expand your product lines, offer variations of the products you have, add membership or subscription options or whatever you feel your audience needs. The world is your oyster! 

NB: Even though at this stage Kevin sought outside investment, his business was 100% bootstrapped until he was generating over $7 million a year and was approached by investors.

Key Learnings:

• Pursue a side project/business you're super interested in and are willing to dedicate time and effort to growing it.

• Choose a content platform (blog, social, podcast etc and consistently create interesting and valuable content)

• Build an email list from Day 1 (my addition to the process)

• Diversify your content formats and platforms to reach a wider audience and cater to different preferences.

• Monetize your audience by offering products that align with their interests and needs.

• Be prepared to scale your business when opportunities arise by increasing content production, expanding your team, or investing in inventory.

• Continuously improve and expand your offerings to suit your lifestyle & goals. 

Epic Gardening is a fantastic example of how to build an extremely successful world class brand from nothing.

You may not need nor desire a $7million a year business. But it just shows what can be achieved if you have the dedication and commitment.

I hope it’s inspired some ideas! 😎

TWT Blog Bites

Newly updated for 2024 and beyond, here’s how I’d start a profitable blog (in any niche) today…

Coined by Tim Ferris the new rich is less about money and more about freedom, here’s how to start your journey today…

Says what it does on the tin! Here are 16 business ideas you can start today that can fund world travel.

Mindset Matters - Problem Solving with the "5 Whys" Technique

As lifestyle entrepreneurs we’re juggling a variety of responsibilities and challenges while running a business from home or on the road. From managing our time and productivity to handling unexpected travel hiccups, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of problems that demand our attention.

But not all problems are created equal. Some issues are merely minor speed bumps, while others can have a significant impact on our business's success and sustainability.

That's where the "5 Whys" technique comes in. Developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries, this powerful problem-solving method helps cut through the noise and identify the root cause of a problem by asking "Why?" five times.

Let's dive in.

The Power of the "5 Whys"

Step 1.

When a problem arises, take a moment to clearly define it. Be specific about the issue at hand and how it's affecting your business.

For example: "I've been struggling to meet my deadlines and complete my work efficiently over the past three months."

Step 2.

Ask "Why?" the problem is occurring. Don't settle for surface-level explanations; dig deeper to uncover the underlying reasons.

"Why am I struggling to meet my deadlines and complete my work efficiently?"

Step 3.

Take the answer from Step 2 and ask "Why?" again. Keep probing, layer by layer, to peel back the onion and get to the heart of the matter.

Repeat this process five times, or until you feel you've reached the root cause of the problem.

Example;

Why #1: Why am I struggling to meet my deadlines and complete my work efficiently?

Answer: I'm constantly getting distracted and having trouble focusing on my tasks.

Why #2: Why am I constantly getting distracted and having trouble focusing on my tasks?

Answer: I'm receiving a high volume of notifications and messages throughout the day, which breaks my concentration.

Why #3: Why am I receiving a high volume of notifications and messages throughout the day?

Answer: I haven't set clear boundaries and expectations with my friends, family, and colleagues regarding communication channels and response times.

Why #4: Why haven't I set clear boundaries and expectations with my friends, family, and colleagues?

Answer: I'm afraid of disappointing them or damaging our relationships if I'm not constantly available.

Why #5: Why am I afraid of disappointing them or damaging our relationships?

Answer: I haven't clearly communicated my need for focused work time and the importance of minimizing distractions to maintain my productivity and well-being.

Root Cause: Lack of clear boundaries and expectations with friends, family, and colleagues, stemming from a fear of disappointing them due to inadequate communication of personal needs and the importance of focused work time.

Step 4.

Once you've identified the root cause, it's time to develop and implement a targeted solution. Focus on addressing the fundamental issue rather than just treating the symptoms.

Create an action plan with specific steps and deadlines to ensure you follow through and resolve the problem at its core.

Why it Works

The "5 Whys" technique is effective because it forces you to move beyond superficial problem-solving and confront the deeper issues that are holding you back.

By repeatedly asking "Why?", you're challenging your assumptions, exposing hidden patterns, and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the problem at hand.

This deeper insight empowers you to develop solutions that are more likely to succeed because they address the root cause rather than just the symptoms.

Try it right now with a problem or challenge your facing. I hope it helps! 😊

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." — Albert Einstein

Trivia Answer

If you guessed Egypt's White Desert, you'd be correct!

Located in the Farafra depression, this otherworldly desert features chalk rock formations that have been eroded into bizarre shapes, resembling giant mushrooms, camels, and abstract sculptures. The white calcium rock formations stand in stark contrast to the golden sand, creating an almost lunar-like landscape.

Visitors can explore this natural wonder on guided tours, often camping under the stars to fully immerse themselves in this magical environment.

This is 100% going on my bucket list!

That’s All Folks

That’s it from me this week. I hope it’s been useful!

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 😊 

Also if you have any specific questions that you’d like me to address in a blog post, podcast episode or mini mastery, please click here and ask your question! I look forward to hearing from you. 😁