How does a beginner with no experience building or selling websites replace his previous business’s income of 100k+ within 14 months of starting his journey?
That’s what Andy has achieved and in this interview you’ll discover…
- Which cash flow strategy he used to replace his income
- How he’s turning active business income into passive recurring income
- His advice for new professionals who want to transition from their job or business into earning online
Click to watch this interview or read the article below.
Matt Raad: Hello again, everyone. It’s Matt Raad here, CEO and co-founder of eBusiness Institute. And today, I’m really excited because I’ve asked one of our past graduates to come back and give us a little update on where things have gone for him in terms of quitting his job and earning money online from his new digital skills.
You may have seen our earlier interview with Andy. He had great success with our program, retraining in digital and getting out there, building websites for local businesses and also in his own portfolio sites.
Andy, welcome and thank you so much for coming on today.
Andy: Yes, good to see you again, Matt. Thank you.
Andy started as a complete beginner when he joined the Champions program
Matt: It’s so great to see where you’re up to. Can you give us a quick recap of what you did with us when you were on the Champions Digital Entrepreneurs Program and what you’re up to today?
So, you started out with us on Champions learning how to do all these digital skills like build and buy websites and things. And which strategy did you mainly choose over that year on the Champions program?
Andy: We are sticking with the local business strategy.
Matt: Awesome. And Andy, where are you located?
Andy: We are in the state of Wisconsin in the United States and our new Digital Agency is called GoldenGumball.com
Matt: Alright, so not down here with us in Australia. That’s super cool.
And you had to retrain your skills, which was one reason you came on the Champions program.
He used the Local Business strategy to replace his previous business income
Matt: Do you want to explain what was happening in your life at that time because it was a bit of a challenge, as it was for a lot of us back in the COVID times of 2021?
Andy: Well, we ran an existing successful business but then tried to come up with something new and failed, costing us the whole business. And I call it a successful failure because I’m a glass-half-full guy. But that was a 13-year-old business and had nothing to do with knowing how to build websites.
So, I came into Champions knowing, as little as anybody else, nothing about websites. When I came in, I mainly attended the training because my wife was also really into learning. She’s more technical than me.
The phone call with Matt Raad that changed Andy’s life…
Andy: And then, just as a recap, I know I said it in our interview before, but I was lucky enough to have a Zoom meeting with you, and I told you what I was doing. I was chasing bright shiny objects. And you told me, “Andy, I’m going to change your life in this call.”
And I think that’s great. Who doesn’t want to hear that? Now it’s a year later, and you certainly have. So, I am so grateful for the Champions program and for Matt and Liz Raad.
Matt: Oh, thank you. And is that why you booked this call to give me the update? Because it is literally a year later, isn’t it? That was when you and I did the famous Zoom call together where I said, “I’m going to change your life because I could see you had the skills to do this really well.”
And just so our readers know, what I said to Andy was (and I’d say to anyone reading this), just learn the digital skills we teach here at eBusiness Institute.
Learn how to build a website and how to get it ranking in Google. It can change your life depending on where you want to head.
It doesn’t just allow you to buy and sell your own portfolio of websites, which Andy’s also doing, but also it can allow you to get out there and generate some pretty quick cash flow.
1 year later, Andy has more than replaced his Champions program fee
Andy was able to “earn-while-you-learn” in his first year of the Champions Digital Entrepreneurs Program…
Matt: So Andy, fast forwarding to today, this is the anniversary of that famous call.
What’s your cash flow situation like now? How have things panned out since you finished studying with us in that first year? Even though it was an earn-while-you-learn type year, especially for you, how have things gone now that you’re a graduate and you’ve really settled into this?
Andy: Well, the trajectory is fantastic, and I have high hopes for myself, so I don’t feel like I’m there yet. But compared to a year ago (when we first started the program), it’s been unbelievable.
I think many of your students should think of the cost of doing the Champions program in terms of a return on investment. Because for us based on that, we have almost doubled the return in our first year. And that’s even though it’s a “learning year, not an earning year.”
But there are two things I didn’t listen to you on. That was one of them. And I proved you wrong. The second one was an e-business site that you proved me right. That’s maybe for another interview.
Today, Andy is now earning 5 figures a month from building local business websites
Andy: So, we’re just starting February, and this year, we almost got the full price of the Champions program in January, and we’re looking almost to get that in February. So now those are a great start for us.
The return on investment (financially) is one thing to say, which has been fantastic. But it’s also done a lot for our family coming off of a shutdown business where cash flow was tight. So, we had to make a move and became really excited about what we’ve just learned about the future. And once again, we’re so grateful.
Matt: Thank you, Andy, for sharing that. As you said, your ROI in just January alone was well over $10,000 USD in sales. And you basically got your Champions program fee back in one hit. This is once you learn your digital skills. And you’re already getting very close to doing that again this month.
Andy is using his digital skills to replace their previous salary with passive income
Matt: Plus, you and I have been having a bit of a chat about how you’re structuring this business. And you’ve been using your digital skills in building up these local sites as assets for yourself too. So now you can see a path where there is lots of opportunity, and the trajectory should go up. Remember, “Matt’s graph” goes exponential, but we need you to get that knowledge first.
Are you feeling that now? Can you see that trajectory? If you and Nora look out over this next year as a family and think about what you’ve been through, you have a few cool projects on. You’re doing a really good job helping your clients out there.
I know that you’ve implemented this really well. So, hats off. You are working really well with your clients and your award winning web design agency site is awesome by the way! How do you see that trajectory going over this year?
Andy: Well, I see it on the right trajectory. I would say though, just as with anything in sales, I like to brag about these two good months. But we know that there are ups and downs in sales. That’s why networking and continuing prospecting are so important.
We’ve been thinking about these local sites and also owning our portfolio sites that we’re using to develop passive income. The way I see it, if we can build that up to a salary level, it becomes relatively steady each month, and that really helps our lifestyle. That’s our base, and then the sites we sell individually become the icing on the cake.
There are still ups and downs with an online business, but the ups are higher, and the downs aren’t as low.
He and his wife, Nora, now have financial freedom for their family
Matt: I also want to point out your and Nora’s decision. You have both gotten into the flow with this and have the skills, and now it’s completely flipped.
I’d forgotten it was actually Nora who came onto the Champions program because she wanted to get out of her job. But now you have both realised that you’ve got really good financial security because Nora has a great job in the medical field. So, she’s decided to keep that to stabilise the family income. And you guys must be in a very nice financial position now with what you are doing there.
Andy: Yes, we’re certainly in a better position than I think we would have been had we not been accepted to the Champions program. We had a rough end, but overall, it’s been positive.
And I say that my wife Nora is my techie! I can still ask her something today, and she still knows. So, our goal is for both of us to be able to do this full-time.
But you’re right, Matt. With my income still fluctuating up and down, Nora’s steady job provides some extra security for us. It’s still our goal to have her come over and work on the portfolio strategy.
Building up passive income is our key to replacing her salary. We will check it off as a goal that we accomplished.
Andy’s advice for new students starting their digital journey
Matt: It’s so unreal to hear this quick update. And as you know, we’re very passionate about the Champions community.
If you pretend all the Champions are sitting here reading your story right now. Right now, our current round of Champions are halfway through the program. They’re at Bootcamp number 2, and I want them to see what happens within the year after finishing Champions. So, thinking about what’s happened for you financially over the last couple of months, what advice would you give to our readers?
Andy: The first thing is don’t quit.
The key to earning money online is to keep showing up, even if it doesn’t make sense yet…
Andy: I remember our first Bootcamp, and we were learning all these things outside of what I knew. I would look at my wife, Nora, and say, “Well, I don’t even know what language this is!”
We all come from different backgrounds, and everybody’s here for a reason. I come from a sales background and have the ability to negotiate and close deals. And I know that is a big challenge out there for a lot of Champions who don’t have that background.
But then, there are other Champions who are more technically savvy than I am. That’s their background. So, for me, I really had to spend time on the technical stuff. I’m a dinosaur, so I really had to work on that for myself.
I would say to the Champions, if you have a network of people and have the ability to negotiate and close, that’s a big benefit. And if you have the technical ability too, you’ll sail fast.
For me, I had to spend a lot of time developing the technical side of things. But once I had something, I could sell it. So my advice is there are not many of us that have BOTH of these skills. If we did, we probably wouldn’t need the Champions program.
So don’t quit. Focus on what you aren’t good at yet, attend all of the classes (especially the SEO lunches with Matt) and you can do it. By the way, the support was also unbelievable. If we had a technical issue, somebody would help.
It’s all been great, but you’ve got to keep a positive attitude. You’ve got to think you can do it, and you just can’t quit. You’ve got to keep going. Maybe you get laughed at in your first pitch. Who cares? Go on to the next one.
How the Champions program helped Andy & Nora start their online business
Matt: That’s something I love about you and what you’ve done. And the Champions community said this about you when we did that famous interview with you last year. You’ve been through a few things in life, and as you found, many other Champions have too. Especially for those of us who are getting a little bit older, life’s an interesting journey, isn’t it?
But you just stick with it, and you turn up every day. It’s not particularly difficult. It’s just turning up every day and being consistent. That’s the Champions ethos. And look at how that worked out for you. Hats off to you. You made it work.
You’re not a technical person. And I know from doing some calls it was tough for you. You were like, “Man, how do I build these websites?!” But as you said, you’ve got support from the community, the support team, the coaches, and Matt and Liz Raad.
And you and Nora just made it work and fit into your family lifestyle. So, it’s been awesome to do an update with you so that everyone can read your story. Really well done for achieving what you did.
Andy: It’s been an exciting ride.
The Champions community provided them with support and opportunities…
Andy: And one last point on reaching out to the community is that we developed a business relationship with a past Champions member. She is way more technical and has more skills than I do. So, when I get into things that seem outside of my scope, I work with her first to learn from her. Both she and her team are great, so it’s a win-win for us both. So, I’m really grateful for that as well. But I’ll say, I wouldn’t have known her without networking within the Champions community.
Matt: That’s awesome.
Today, Nora & Andy are an inspiration to the rest of the Champions community
Matt: Well, a big thank you for talking about the Champions community. You’ve just helped inspire so many of this year’s Champions and anyone else reading this.
I thought we’d share this with everybody so they can see what we do here at eBusiness Institute. And to see someone like Andy, who was a total beginner online. He was at a stage in life where they had to make some serious changes financially in their lives.
This was back in COVID in 2021. As we all know, that was a challenging year for everyone around the world. But Andy made it work, and this was his path. And it’s interesting his wife, Nora, remained the stable breadwinner while he’s been able to learn these digital skills.
And today, they are very quickly replacing their income and growing into a significant five-figure-a-month income, $10,000 plus every month.
Andy, I think we’ll do an update every year because you’re so inspirational for all of us. A big thank you from all of us for coming back to inspire everyone in our community.
Andy: Thank you so much, and to Liz as well. Thank you.
Ready to start creating online income like Andy?
Matt: This can also be the path for you. So, if you’re interested in learning about what we do here at Champions, go and check out our free masterclass. See what we do here at eBusiness Institute, have a look around, go and look at some of the other success stories and go and recheck Andy’s very first interview about building websites that we did with him. It was very popular with our community and I’m sure, Andy, there’ll be more updates from you soon.
