How a Strong Work Ethic Makes You Earn More Money Fast

When it comes to working in the corporate world, 73% of companies identified one skill as the most desired characteristic — and it's work ethic.

Even during a stable economic environment, many competent people are unemployed. This is mainly because their work ethic is not on par with their capability.

A good work ethic is not about logging hours and hours at work. It is your attitude and actions that display integrity.

In this blog, I’ll tell you the importance of work ethics, how you can demonstrate your work ethic to climb the corporate ladder, and how you can turn your work ethic into a highly profitable business.

What is Work Ethic?

In a sentence, work ethic can be defined as the ability to maintain moral values within a professional setting.

It is all about how you uphold your principles, goals, and responsibilities.

Work ethic is categorized as a soft skill that is critical to success, whether you are working at a job or trying to establish your own business.

Though work ethic is imperative to success, not all generations prioritize it the same way.

According to a study by Bentley University, while 18% of corporate recruiters and 23% of business decision-makers classify work ethic as crucial, only 7% of high school students and 9% of college students identified so.

And now, 50% of millennials say their poor work ethic made their first job extremely challenging.

There are various characteristics that make-up a work ethic, and not all fields prioritize the same factors. But any good work ethic involves a few fundamental qualities.

These characteristics determine how you will react during a particular situation. Your course of action to different circumstances reflects the kind of work ethic you follow.

Factors That Demonstrate a Strong Work Ethic

The most common excuse for employees not showing up to work is to claim that they are sick. However, 40% of workers had called in sick when they weren't.

If there is a very low probability of getting caught, people often struggle with upholding their values.

But having the integrity to stand by your values, especially in the absence of supervision, is what helps you develop a strong work ethic.

Seven factors form the core of a strong work ethic.

1. Accountability.

The only way we can grow from our mistakes is when we acknowledge their existence. Accountability is taking ownership of your actions and not pointing fingers or giving excuses.

You should take personal pride in your work and take responsibility for the results – good or bad. 50% of surveyed participants said they disliked accountability because they didn’t know how to implement it effectively.

Here are six steps to hold yourself accountable.

1. Understand and acknowledge your responsibilities.
2. Be honest and admit if something goes wrong. Don’t let your pride get in the way.
3. Apologize if you’ve made a mistake and make a genuine effort not to repeat it.
4. Use micro-goals. Prioritize your tasks and deliver the work on time.
5. Be realistic and don’t over-commit.
6. Reflect on how you could have done things differently and make use of this feedback.

2. Self-discipline.

Discipline is a value that everyone preaches, and it deserves all the attention it gets.

You need to be able to push yourself, and for that, you need to align your behavior with your goals.

But when life gets busy with so many priorities and distractions, it is easy to get sidetracked. This is why you need to master self-discipline to establish strong work habits and keep on track with your goals.

Strategies to master self-discipline.

• Be crystal clear about your “why,” and frequently remind yourself of why you are being disciplined in the first place.
• Find ways to embrace discomfort. When you find something you don’t feel like doing, take a step ahead and do it. Tasks like taking cold showers in the morning or eating all your vegetables don’t directly contribute to your goals, but by doing them, you are choosing not to fall into your comfort zone. Self-discipline is a skill that can be learned. Every time you lean into the resistance, you are making yourself better at doing so in the future, no matter what the task is.
• Try Meditation. I am sure you’ve heard people praise to the skies about the virtues of meditation. Research showed that people were better able to regulate their emotions after only eight weeks of meditation training. The easiest way to get started is through guided meditation, for which you can use tools like Headspace and Calm.
• Practice building new habits. Set small goals and track your progress using applications like Habitica, Strides, and HabitBull. Reward yourself for achieving your targets but don’t target perfect scores; instead, make sure that your progress is going in an overall positive direction.
• Block your distractions. If you tend to stray towards your email, social media, or YouTube, you can get lost scrolling all day when you should be working. You could also use software programs like Freedom, which has application blocking properties that can lock down specific apps and websites and force you to become disciplined.

3. Honesty.

Honesty is an integral part of developing trust in your workplace.

When you voice the truth, you can move forward and work towards identifying the issue and tackling it.

But though this concept is simple enough to understand, implementing it can be quite unnerving.

After all, if you can squirm out of a tight situation with a simple lie with no significant consequence, why should you choose to be honest, right?

When you are honest, life becomes much less complicated, and you can focus on things that actually matter.

How to practice and demonstrate honesty.

• Always keep your word.
• Think twice before you speak, and mean everything that you say.
• Don’t sugarcoat your statements. Present things as they are and people will respect you for it.
• If you have an issue with something, be open about it and try to overcome the difference.
• If someone misinterprets something, be quick to correct them of the notion.
• Accept responsibility for your mistakes.
• Just like you hold yourself accountable, hold others responsible when their actions don’t match their words.

4. Humility.

Humility is one of the most underrated factors of a strong work ethic.

Humility is understanding that neither are you above others, nor are you any less important than others.

Being modest does not mean you have low self-esteem; instead, you know and acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses.

How to practice humility.

• Listen to other people’s opinions and reasoning.
• Accept constructive criticism.
• When you need help, ask for it.
• Don’t be nosy; mind your own business.

5. Professionalism.

Being hardworking and great at your job may not be enough to get a promotion. More often than not, it is about presenting yourself more professionally so that your boss can start to see you as more of a leader.

Professionalism is your attitude and behavior in your workplace. It is when you establish clear boundaries about what is acceptable in the workplace and what isn’t.

This ensures that you can be frank and open and still be aware of the line you shouldn’t cross.

How to be professional at your workplace.

• Don’t let your personal opinions influence your work.
• Respect your coworkers and value their opinions.
• Follow your company’s dress code.
• Be punctual and follow your company’s rules and expectations.
• Understand what is expected of you and keep up with deadlines.

6. Respectfulness.

We have always heard the phrase, “Treat others how you want to be treated.”

72% of the respondents claimed respectful treatment as the most important contributor to overall employee job satisfaction.

For any healthy work environment, respect is a key component. Even if you do not understand other people’s opinions and beliefs, it is vital to be respectful.

Respect can be heard in how your tone of voice when you talk to someone and when others talk to you. It can be observed by how well you delegate with your colleagues and how they respond.

7. Dedication.

When you are passionate about something, you create a plan and leave no stone unturned. But dedication is incredibly hard to demonstrate when you have challenging goals.

There are countless guides online about how to be dedicated, but they are usually very vague and don't tell you exactly what to do.

Here are a couple of strategies I’ve personally implemented that have shown me great results.

Strategies to improve your dedication.

In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the late Stephen R. Covey talks about how we should “Begin with the end in mind.”

It means to begin each day, task, or project with the desired end goal in mind.

You reverse-engineer by visualizing your destination and realizing your priorities that will help you attain your goals step-by-step.

Picture your end-point and design a path to get there.

• What do you really want to achieve?
• Why is it important to you?
• Where are you now in regard to your goals?
• What’s the most direct route from where you are to where you want to be?

Answering these questions will help you realize precisely what steps you need to take to achieve your goal.

Psychologically, a big reason why people procrastinate is that they are overwhelmed by the size of a task or project.

Chunking is an effective strategy to tackle any endeavor. You take one giant task and break it down into smaller, manageable chunks.

This technique improves our sense of self-efficiency and makes us believe that we can accomplish our goal.

After you have decided on your tasks, here are a few things that can help you stay dedicated.

• Don’t argue with your to-do list.
• Voice your commitments to others and ask them to hold you accountable if you slack.
• Don’t just think about failures; remind yourself of your achievements.

8. Determination.

Another essential factor that contributes to a strong work ethic is determination.

Strong determination enables us to keep going even in the face of difficult times. It helps you stay motivated and strive towards achieving your goals.

Practical ways to boost your determination.

• Identify your distraction and take steps to avoid it.
• Ignore things you have no control over.
• If something happens, analyze if the event will affect you in the next five years. If not, let it go.
• Constantly visualize your long-term goals.
• Don’t complain or criticize about things to others. Instead, let that anger and pain be a motivator to keep moving forward.

A Strong Work Ethic Helps You Get Promoted Faster and Raise Your Salary

Let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to get promoted and earn more money?

Everyone does, but employers don’t just hand out promotions just because you want them.

Sure, promotions don’t happen overnight, but getting a promotion isn’t rocket science either. While getting a promotion isn’t strictly in your hands, if you actively pursue a promotion, it will drastically improve your chances of getting one.

So what is the best way to pursue that promotion?

1. Being good at what you do, of course.
2. Acting in a way that will warrant a promotion.
3. Asking for a promotion.

Lying the groundwork for your boss to consider you for a promotion is vital. And this goes beyond just being skilled at your job; you need to realize how you can demonstrate a strong work ethic so your employer notices you.

But perhaps, the most crucial of the three steps is actively asking for the promotion.

More often than not, people believe that if they keep their head down and work hard, they will get the promotion because they deserve it.

But there are two reasons why asking for a promotion is critical.

1. To make your intentions known. If you are aiming for the spot above yours, there is no reason to be coy about it. Instead of demanding a promotion when an opportunity comes around, you can ask your boss what it will take to get a promotion. You don’t want to appear self-centered or arrogant, be respectful, and ask for clarity about the prerequisites. You will get specific information about what is required, which will help you design a plan to get that promotion.
2. You can have your business case ready. When a promotion finally does come around, you will have a case prepared for why you should be promoted. You have had the time to make the necessary accomplishments visible, and it will be nearly impossible for your employers to say no because you tick all the right boxes.

You need to get yourself out there and make sure you are visible. While self-promotion may not be your cup of tea, if you don’t let others know about your achievements, nobody will.

Form relationships with your fellow employees and build a network. Often people who get a promotion exhibit leadership qualities before they get the promotion. This is essentially the reason why they get promoted in the first place.

While you can follow these steps to climb the corporate ladder faster, you can do things even before joining the company to create an excellent foundation.

1. Highlight your work ethic skills in your resume

Many job descriptions emphasize professionalism and work ethic as a required skill.

Emphasizing your strong work ethic in your resume may be challenging, but it goes a long way.

When I say resume, I don’t want you to write “I have a strong work ethic” and leave it at that. Though it may be difficult, I want you to show, don’t tell.

You should include keywords related to these areas in your resume but do a little more if you want to make a better and stronger first impression.

How do you do that? By highlighting specific examples.

• Responsibilities you handled in the past.
• Highlight when your higher-up gave you a challenging task and how you managed it. This showcases your trustworthiness and dependability.
• Include any awards, achievements, or other recognition you may have received.

The best skills to include depends heavily on the type of job, career level, education, and other factors.

Filter and choose instances that portray your skills in the best possible light.

It is important to be short and precise.

Giving them just a taste will make them more likely to call you for an interview. You can always elaborate on your points during the interview.

2. Highlight your work ethic skills in your cover letter.

When it comes to emphasizing your work ethic in your cover letter, you have much more freedom than your resume.

Stress on your strongest qualities in your cover letter.

Focus on mentioning attributes that showcase how you will benefit the company.

Do you have a specific background in your field? You can also mention your performance in the company’s mock trial or anything else pertaining to the company.

It is a good idea to avoid parroting what you’ve mentioned in your resume.

This is where you can shine, so don’t make general claims about your skills and mention things that will make you memorable.

One important thing to note is that you do not just mention skills, support your claims with instances.

Your cover letter is basically a sales pitch.

A good sales pitch shouldn’t just mention the features of a product but also how it will benefit the user.

Be blunt about what sets you apart.

Mention special assignments or challenges you’ve faced in past jobs that demonstrate your work ethics.

One best tip is to include concrete numbers.

Maybe as a sales rep, your conversion rate was 37% greater than your fellow workers? Perhaps your performance placed you in the top 15% in our department?

Hard numbers and facts give your hiring manager an unbiased way to gauge your potential.

Re-read the job description, pick out keywords, and focus on them when you write your cover letter.

It will significantly benefit you if you highlight points that you know will carry the most weight with your hiring manager.

For example, if the job description mentions dedication, you can highlight any past projects where you went the extra mile to complete your task.

Even if you don’t have any prior work experiences, you can talk about the accomplishments and positions you have held during college.

3. Highlight your work ethic skills in your job interview.

The most crucial aspect of any job interview is for the hiring manager to gauge how well you will fit into the company’s culture.

When it comes to demonstrating your work ethic, there are so many skills under this umbrella term that you may feel a little lost about what to focus on during your interview.

Therefore, it is important to pinpoint which skills you want to focus on.

And more often than not, you may find what skills the company is looking for in the job description.

Are they looking for a team player? Someone with excellent leadership skills?

Pick them out, and give them special attention.

Think through your career and pick out instances where you’ve demonstrated these traits.

Predetermining what instances you would want to talk about will eliminate the need to think about what to say during the interview and reduce your stress level.

Don’t be afraid to mention past mistakes or when your work was not on par with the expectations. But always follow up with what you did to remedy the situation and what you learned from it.

This will showcase your ability to take responsibility and prove your integrity.

Tip:

When you narrate an instance, use the STAR technique to organize your story. The acronym stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Response.

With all this preparation, you might manipulate your answer just to mention an instance that you know is absolute gold. But it does not do you any good to ignore your interviewer’s intent with the question.

Listen to the whole question and answer honestly. Don’t try to forcefully weave-in what you’ve already prepared.

It does nothing to uplift your impression, and frankly, it is a big turn off.

Here are a few things you should not say during a job interview.

• Cliches like I am a perfect fit for the job, I am a team player, or I am a workaholic.
• Throw around adjectives that don’t apply to you.
• Not being honest about what you say.

But it is not just about what you say during the interview that shows the interviewer your work ethic.

You should keep in mind a few things that will prove to your hiring manager that you have a strong work ethic.

• Arrive before the designated time.
• Dress appropriately.
• Maintain eye contact and give a firm handshake.
• Be respectful to the staff and your interviewer.

How to Turn Your Work Ethic into a Highly Profitable Business

Lack of consistent income is the hardest part of entrepreneurship. With a job, you know where your money is coming from and how much you’ll have at the end of the month.

This isn’t the case with entrepreneurship.

However, you being responsible for your own income is the worst and the best part about entrepreneurship. It is you who decides how much you earn and how fast your business grows.

When people quit their job to start a blogging business, an e-commerce business, or even become an influencer; they have the best intention in their hearts. But they may not always understand what it takes to be successful in their chosen business.

In this section of the blog, I’ll tell you exactly what it takes to launch a successful online business.

While establishing and running your own business is a difficult ordeal, a solid work ethic is the tallest barrier that stands between you and the success you want to achieve.

So, how can you turn your work ethic into a successful business?

Become a High-Paid Freelancer

Freelance income is far from stable. While there is a chance that you can make the money of a lifetime, it can swing both ways. 63% of freelancers withdraw from their savings at least once a month to manage their expenses.

Sure, it is fairly easy to start as a freelancer, but it takes hard work and unwavering dedication to become successful.

So, how can you become a successful freelancer?

1. Find a profitable niche.

Pick a specialty and research if there is a market. Choose something that genuinely interests you and focus on becoming an expert in that micro-niche.

For example, writing eBooks for Marketing Agencies or logo designing.

2. Identify Your Target Clients.

Most freelancers jump into offering their services before defining their ideal clients. This isn’t only about whom you want to work with, but also who will pay you for your services.

This is important because it will help you determine how and where you should promote your services and create a brand to attract your ideal clients.

3. Build your personal brand.

Building a personal brand will attract clients to you and make you memorable. The best thing about it is, as a freelancer, you are your own brand.

Here are a few things you need to think about while building your personal brand.

• What makes you different?
• What is your underlying driving force?
• Your brand voice. This includes everything from the language you use, your tone of speech, and the emotion your brand message invokes.
• Your brand visuals. This includes your color palette, font, aesthetic, and the images you use.

Remember that your prospects want to get to know you, so let your personality shine through.

4. Find your first client.

To find your first client, it is always hard to do it on your own. While recommendations and social media platforms can be great sources for gigs, the best way to find clients as a newbie is through freelancing platforms.

Here is a list of the best freelance platforms on the market.

1. Upwork.

Upwork is my top recommendation for finding clients who are willing to pay you for the value you deliver.

There are over 18 million freelancers and around 5 million clients registered on Upwork.

At the moment, it is the largest freelance marketplace where 3 million jobs worth $1 billion are posted yearly.

Price: Upwork charges a service fee for the jobs you find on the platform. But as a freelancer, you can register on Upwork for free.

2. SolidGigs.

Solidgigs offers two tools that will help you immensely as a freelancer.

1. Weekly Gig Lists. Solidgigd filters the best freelance jobs for you, so you don’t have to spend hours browsing for quality leads.
2. Courses & Tools. They offer training on topics like sales, pitching, pricing, client acquisition, and charging what you’re worth.

Price: You can register on SolidGigs for a 30-day trial for just $2. You need to pay a subscription fee of $19 per month after the 30-day trial.

3. Flexjobs.

Like most platforms, employers set up their job posts on FlexJobs.

You can apply directly through the platform, or you may be redirected to the employer’s preferred websites to apply for the job.

Price: You can try Flexjobs for a week at $6.97 and then choose a plan from their subscription model.

4. Fiverr.

At Fiver, you can create your profile and sell any service as long as it complies with Fiver’s terms. There are over 200 categories on Fiverr that you can browse to get ideas.

Price: You can join Fiverr for free. There is no subscription fee required; however, Fiverr does charge a service fee for each transaction.

5. Build your portfolio.

It is important to show proof of your work to land quality clients. Even if you do not have any previous work that you can display, you should create your own sample content for your portfolio.

6. Determine your price.

Successful freelancers compete on value, not price.

Even if you are a newbie, you should not race people to the bottom just so you can land a project. This is especially true when you register on freelancing platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.

While your hourly rate or project price depends on your skill and experience, do not charge any less than what you think you deserve.

Determine your price according to your lifestyle and expenses. If you do your homework and know who your target clients are, you will know exactly how to pitch your services.

7. Find work.

Don’t spam and send the same proposal to 40 different people in one day, desperately hoping that at least one of them will get back to you.

There are hundreds of gigs posted every day to different freelancing platforms, and all you need to do is find a handful of projects that fit you like a glove.

Some freelancers avoid freelancing platforms due to their service fees; in that case, you can try groups on LinkedIn or Facebook to find work. But you should note that there is no contract in place here, so make sure you charge an advance before you start any project.

8. Focus on client relationships.

Here’s the thing. If you are a freelancer without strict work ethics, you will still find clients.

But it would be tough for you to build a base of clientele who will keep coming back for more.

The key to becoming a successful freelancer is spending less time looking for new clients and more time working with repeat clients.

So, how do you get clients to come back, again and again, for more?

• Understand what your client really wants.
• Anticipate (and prevent) predictable problems.
• Be professional and communicate efficiently.
• Make sure you meet your deadlines.
• Listen to instructions.
• Make necessary revisions.

Launch a High-End Blog.

A blog is one of the best ways to launch a highly profitable business.

I started blogging in 2014, and in five years, I have grown two blogs, Cleverism and FounderJar, to 6-figures.

I will be honest with you; running a blog is tough work.

There will be times when you question your decision to have ever started a blog.

But it all comes down to your work ethic.

You can not build a blogging business overnight, and you shouldn’t aim for it either.

With blogging, you need to put in the time and effort to build a strong community that is loyal to you before you can start earning from your blog.

While consistency and hard work does not guarantee success, it is how you should approach blogging.

That doesn’t mean you have to wait years to start earning from your blog. In fact, you can start earning $10k in around three months if you know exactly what to do.

1. Pick your domain name.

If you aim to create a personal brand, you can purchase YourName.com or some other variation if it isn’t available.

But if you do not want to build a personal brand, focus on what services you offer and choose your domain based on that.

You can also try to include your industry’s primary keywords in your domain name.

2. Purchase your hosting.

After you have decided on your domain name, the next step is to choose a reliable hosting provider.

To purchase your hosting, I would recommend Bluehost.

My experience with their customer support has been very positive. It is available 24/7, and they even offer Live Chat!

Additionally, it is straightforward to set up your WordPress with Bluehost.

Install WordPress on Bluehost.Choose a hosting plan.

1. Choose a hosting plan

You can choose a hosting plan according to your requirements.

I would recommend choosing shared hosting if you are confused about which hosting to opt for. It is very cheap, and you get the chance to get familiar with the platform and gauge your needs.

If you feel shared hosting is not the right option for you, you can always change to another plan in the future.

While you have the option of purchasing shared hosting, Bluehost offers a direct WordPress Hosting option.

Dedicated WordPress hosting plans allow you to take advantage of all its features, and you are offered support from a team of WordPress professionals.

2. Enter your Domain Name.

Bluehost offers a free domain name for the first year.

Type the domain name you have chosen into the domain search, and Bluehost will tell you if it is available.

According to your business or organization, you can choose your domain extension. Since you are creating a website for your personal brand, use a .com extension.

For anyone looking for a brand or business, their first instinct is to use a .com extension.

3. Fill in your account details.

Double-check your package information and confirm your hosting plan details.

4. Enter Payment Information.

This is the last step to sign up for Bluehost.

Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. So, if you are unhappy with your plan or hosting service after the purchase, you can ask Bluehost for a refund.

5. Install WordPress.

1. Log into your Bluehost account.
2. Click on My Sites

Here, you have two options.

Option 1: Click Log in to WordPress, and you will log into the WordPress site Bluehost created for you.

Your WordPress site is located on the domain you used to create your Bluehost account.

Option 2: Go to My Sites and select the Create Site button.

This option will create your WordPress site on a different domain.

Follow the directions to set up your site. You will have to create a username and password for your site.

After you’ve followed all the instructions, click on Login to WordPress, and you will be redirected to your WordPress site.

3. Install your WordPress Theme.

WordPress offers over 7,900 free themes that you can install; however, they do not provide much flexibility. It may be challenging to customize them as per your needs.

I recommend purchasing a theme from Themeforest or StudioPress. Or you can choose any WordPress theme and install Divi Builder to optimize your site to your taste.

4. Start Blogging!

Don’t jump headfirst into creating your first post. Creating a content strategy is the most critical step to propel your blog to success.

Organizations with a defined content strategy experience double the amount of success compared to organizations that do not have a strategy.

The only thing between you and those thousands of dollars is your dedication to reach that goal.

Blogging is a profession that demands time, commitment, and willpower to work even when you don’t feel like it.

Here are a few things that you should focus on when you start a blog.

• Know your target audience.
• Don’t be robotic. Ensure that your blog has a personality.
• Set clear objectives that you want to accomplish with your blog.
• Create a blogging schedule.
• Create a content promotion strategy.
• Include action-driven content.

Create and Sell Online Courses.

Technology has dramatically transformed teaching and learning. Online courses have surpassed traditional education in all aspects. The worldwide e-learning market will be worth $37 billion by 2026.

With the rise of e-learning, sharing your knowledge by creating online courses is one of the best ways to earn money, and do it fast.

How to create your own online course.

1. Choose your online course topic.

All successful online course creators have a thorough knowledge of three things.

• Their course topic.
• Their target audience.
• How it will benefit their audience.

Choosing the right course topic that will actually sell is the most critical aspect of creating an online course.

Here are six steps you can follow to choose a profitable online course topic.

1. Brainstorm topics you are passionate about and want to teach.
2. If you have an audience, ask them directly what they would like to learn about. You can take advantage of your email list and social media platforms to do so.
3. Check out existing courses in your industry and research why they were successful.
4. Identify a gap in the market that your competitors have overlooked.
5. Analyze the earning potential for each topic. See if there is an actual demand for your course.
6. Now choose the best options. You don’t have to pick one and discard the rest. Don’t let your research go to waste and select the top 3 topics and save two for the future.

Note: Be sure to include your industry keywords in the course title.

2. Define learning outcomes.

This is essentially where you describe what people will be able to do after they take your course.

One of the best ways to structure this segment is by demonstrating how your audience will be able to implement what they have learned.

Identifying what your target audience is looking for is the key to any successful course.

You can use your market research and address pain points that your target audience has voiced.

Below is the learning outcomes segment of a Google Ads Training on Udemy.

All the outcomes mentioned are specific and make the reader visualize the course's effect on their business.

3. Structure your course content.

You would want your course to have a smooth flow, and for that, you need to be organized.

Creating a course outline storyboard can help you organize your ideas and ensure you’ve naturally included all the topics that you wish to cover.

There are three ways you can structure your online course:

• A step-by-step format. This is the most popular format where the course has a logical sequence and walks the user step-by-step through throughout the entire course. Each step usually includes a number of modules or lessons.
• A weekly program. This format is based on a time-scale where a new segment of the course is released each week. This format is excellent when you want your students to do tasks alongside your course. If your course focuses on teaching a particular skill that needs practice, this is a great option—for example, a 4-week web designing course or a 7-week sales copywriting course.
• A reference course. This particular course format doesn’t need a decided format. It includes a set of topics that people can choose according to their requirements. For example, if you already have an online course, you can check out the comment section to see what challenges people are facing and create a whole different course where you address the most relevant queries.

4. Create your course content.

There are different ways to deliver your course content like text and audios, but the most effective method is through videos.

You can approach this video content format in several ways.

• You can talk straight to the camera, thereby addressing your students directly.
• You can choose the Green Screen video where you can edit the green screen behind your talking head video to display images, presentation slides, and so on.
• You can use a screencast video if you want to demonstrate something practically like how-to create ads with Facebook.
• You can use a webcam video if you want to simultaneously share your screen and your face while you are directly addressing your students.

After you have an outline for your course, you can approach each segment individually to avoid being overwhelmed.

Map your production schedule and stick to it religiously.

Putting together an online course is not rocket science, but it does require commitment.

If you do not have a strong work ethic, your content creation process can drag on for much longer than you originally anticipated.

I would recommend using Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, or LightWorks to edit your videos.

Adobe Audition, Audacity, and Logic Pro X are some of the best software programs to edit your audio.

How to get started with your own online course?

There are various hosting sites and platforms you can choose for creating your online courses.

I recommend using either Teachable or Thinkific for creating and publishing your online courses.

Price: Teachable provides monthly and yearly plans for you to choose from. Their basic pricing starts from $29 per month.

Thinkific offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. They also offer a 30-day free trial if you opt for their pro plan. Their basic pricing starts from $39 per month.

Start Your Own Niche Online Store

Online shopping has evolved from a novel concept to a multi-trillion dollar industry.

The number of people shopping online has reached around 2.05 billion in 2020.

75% of these people shop online at least once every month. In fact, global e-commerce sales are estimated to reach $4.206 trillion in 2020.

With such mind-boggling statistics, do you really need another reason to start your online store?

What kind of online store should you choose?

There are two types of dropshipping stores you can go for.

• Niche Dropshipping Store.
• General Dropshipping Store.

1. Niche Store.

A niche store focuses on one particular subsection of a whole larger market.

These stores offer goods or services that target a specific audience and a product category.

For example, within the category of dogs, there are various niches you could target. Like, toys for dogs, collars, or maybe costumes?

Here is SoYoung, a niche store that sells lunch bags to mothers and children.

They have an extremely specific product and an extremely specific target audience.

If you want me to dig deeper, they target mothers who are focused on their careers, for their bags are very aesthetically pleasing. They are minimalistic and have thoughtful features like removable insulated inserts, messenger straps, and accessory pockets.

Other examples of niche stores.

1. Toyshades

Niche: Trendy Shades

2. Beardbrand

Niche: Beard Growing Products

3. Tattly

Niche: Temporary Tattoos

2. General Store.

A general store, on the other hand, offers a variety of products. It’s like the name suggests, general.

Like Amazon and Walmart, general stores sell everything to everyone. They offer products from several different industries like clothing, electronics, stationery, home decor, and gardening.

While it may be tempting to opt for a general store because you can offer your customers a variety of products, it is not advisable.

This is because it is very challenging for such stores to build a brand, find a loyal customer base, scale their business, and maintain it.

How to pick the niche for your dropshipping store?

This is one of the most important decisions you will make, so it is essential to invest time and effort to do some solid research.

If there is not much demand for your niche, it wouldn’t matter how well you do; it would not work out.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind while choosing a product for your store.

1. Don’t try to be too different.

While it is important to differentiate yourself from your competitors, it does not do well to pick a category that is too unique.

More important than standing out is coming across as genuine and establishing trust.

So don’t go out of your way to find a new category, do some research to learn about categories your competitors are overlooking.

2. Pricing.

It makes sense to avoid building a store around products that have low prices.

Instead of selling 1,000 products that bring in a profit of $1 each to make $1,000, it is easier to sell 20 products of $80 that bring in a $50 profit.

On the other hand, it does not do well to opt for niches with very high product prices. When you sell high-priced products, the prospects also demand much more.

You have to work much harder at proving your authenticity.

I would recommend choosing products between $50 and $100. The price is modest, and it is high enough for you to make a decent profit.

How To Choose What Products To Sell?

1. Solve a customer pain point.

To identify products that solve a problem, identifying market problems is the first step. And you can do this by conducting market research.

Read customer reviews on existing products and analyze their frustrations. The best place to do this is Amazon.

For example, suppose your store sells helmets. You scroll through your competitor’s products on amazon and navigate to the customer reviews.

There’s your pain point!

Your competitor’s product does not offer proper gear to shield people’s nose from dust.

If your product works to satisfy those customers, you can effectively steal your competitor’s audience!

Take note of these poor experiences with the current selection of available products.

Based on your research, you can come up with profitable product ideas without much hassle.

2. Potential to create a brand around your products.

Building a brand is not just about creating a name and logo that people recognize; it is about what people perceive when they hear about your brand.

Creating a brand is what will sustain your store in the long run.

How to find products that have branding potential?

• Understand your target audience and analyze the best way to position your product.
• Craft a brand message that will create an emotional impact.
• Create a relevant brand that people can relate to.
• Draft CTAs that will appeal to your prospects.

Remember, your main objective is to build an audience that is loyal to your brand. Leveraging your products to create a network crucial for any brand to succeed.

3. Capitalize on trends early.

When a hot new trend is blowing up the market, it receives massive traction even if it is temporary.

If you hop on to trends early, you will gain access to a brand new audience that is not a part of your existing customer base.

If you become a part of the hype train before it reaches its peak potential, you have an excellent chance of taking advantage of the market and carving out a spot for yourself.

4. Find products that fulfill guilty pleasures.

If you understand people’s intimate emotions, they connect with you on a deeper level.

Apple has done an excellent job with this. Their products are extremely overpriced, yet many are willing to pay for them even if there are several product alternatives in the market offering better features. Why?

Apple has targeted people’s ego. They market to people’s innermost desire to seem better than others and make them feel good about themselves.

It’s like an exclusive club with high-profile members.

So, pinpoint what your target audience is passionate about and identify products that fulfill their guilty pleasures.

How Do I Begin Selling Online?

One of the best ecommerce platforms to create your online store is using Shopify.

Shopify is very user-friendly, and you can create your own website and use its features to promote, sell, and ship your products.

It is very cost-effective, and Shopify has a great support system if you get stuck while building your Shopify store.

Price: Shopify offers a 14-day free trial. Their basic plan starts from $29 per month.

Record Your Own Podcasting Show

There are around 525,000 active shows and over 18.5 million episodes.The number of people saying they listen to podcasts has risen to over 37 million per month.

There is a startling difference when compared to ten years ago when the audio format was declining rather rapidly across the world.

According to the most recent survey conducted in 2020, 55% of U.S. consumers listen to podcasts.

Why should you start your own podcast?

1. People can consume it with ease.

The main reason why podcasts are so popular is that people can multitask while listening to a podcast. This is not the case when they are reading a blog or watching videos on YouTube.

Edison Research conducted a study where they explored the locations where people listened to podcasts and found that people often listen to podcasts at home, in a car, while walking around, or working out.

2. To build an audience.

Podcasting is an excellent way to build a stable and deep relationship with your audience. If people like your content and your vibe, they will come back for more.

3. It is very cost-effective.

Starting a podcast doesn’t cost you much, either. All you need to invest in is podcast hosting and a decent microphone (if you don’t have a good pair of earphones already.)

4. Make money.

There are a dozen ways of making money with podcasts. But just like any other area, you need to put in the effort to build an audience before you can earn from podcasting.

Be consistent and publish new episodes frequently and engage with your audience, and you will build a network that rakes in money with each episode.

How to make money from podcasting?

Before you start your podcast, it is essential to strategize where your money comes from. Though advertising is one of the most popular ways of making money with podcasts (or on the internet), it is not the only way to make money.

Let me give you a list of ways (other than advertising and sponsorships) to make money through podcasting.

1. Digital products.

Digital products can be distributed with ease, making it one of the best ways of making money podcasting. They are easy to manage, sell, and deliver, and you never run out of stock!

For example, ebooks, software, music, online courses, and webinars.

2. Increase the sales of your products and services.

If you have an online store or plan to build one with Shopify, podcasting is an incredible way to attract traffic to your store.

3. Coaching.

When you have a podcast, you have the chance to develop a deep intimate relationship with your audience. Your audience feels like they already know you; they understand your personality.

So if you offer coaching services, they are bound to take the leap if they like you enough.

Additionally, if you are already into the coaching business, you can benefit a lot from podcasting.

4. Affiliate marketing.

Instead of spending time and money creating your own products, you can promote other people’s products and earn a 4–5% commission generated via each sale.

If you are new to podcasting, affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money.

Additionally, when you are promoting someone else’s product or service, you can invite them to your show and give them a chance to talk about their product and build a relationship with the audience.

This eliminates the chances of you coming across as too sales-y, and people will buy naturally.

5. Public Speaking.

A podcast is an excellent platform for people to understand your tone of delivery. Many podcasters have been offered public speaking projects as a result of their podcast.

You can also inform your audience that you host seminars and conferences and let them know what you offer.

6. Books and audiobooks.

I know this is a crossover with the digital and physical products I mentioned above, but I needed to add more to this segment.

Even before you launch your book, or even while you are still writing your book, you can use podcasting to update people about your progress and create a buzz around it.

7. Host your own events.

Podcasting is an incredible way to build a community.

Hosting your own event may seem daunting, but if you have a significant audience base, there will be a point where they would want to meet you and each other.

8. Patreon.

While you may think this is limited to YouTubers, that is simply not true. Patreon is for anyone who wants to support their favorite influencer.

You can ask your audience to support your podcast by pledging no more than a dollar per episode. Even if you release five episodes a month with 500 people supporting you on Patreon, you earn $2,500 per month.

But it is important to offer some added incentives, like premium content, to people who support you on Patreon.

How to start your own podcast?

There are several free and paid hosting platforms available for your podcast.

I recommend using Buzzsprout for creating and publishing your podcasts.

It is easy to use, and you can get your podcast listed on every major podcast platform when you post.

Run Paid and Free Webinars

With so many businesses lately investing in providing value to their audience, people have come to expect quality content for free.

Does that mean people are not willing to invest in webinars? Definitely not!

Webinars are nothing but a well-designed sales pitch when you are offering it for free.

You have a span of one hour to establish a connection with your viewer and make them want to associate with you by buying what you recommend.

You can ask them to purchase your online courses or even the ebook you’ve recently launched.

You can give a demo of your products and sell them during the webinar.

There are various ways you can leverage free webinars to increase your sales.

But how can you make money from the webinar itself?

1. Offer advanced training.

If people are hearing about you for the first time and you ask them to pay for a webinar, it might be a huge turn-off.

You haven’t done anything to gain their trust, so why would they care?

Webinars are an excellent way to offer advanced training to the audience who already consume your content in some other way.

Maybe they follow your content on your blog, or maybe your YouTube.

If they already know and appreciate what you offer selflessly, they will be interested in taking you up on your advanced training offer.

2. People want to commit.

Let us suppose you plan to host a webinar.

You market it in a way that the webinar is only for people who are “serious about getting a promotion in the next 2 months.” You are accepting only the first twenty registrations as it will be a live interactive webinar where you will be answering their questions directly.

This justifies why you are charging a fee, and people who are interested in the topic (and trust you) will have no problem investing in it.

3. Create a webinar series.

Instead of pitching a single webinar and asking people to pay $20, you can create a series and ask people to pay in bulk.

There are two ways you can make use of this.

• You can either create a series where one episode flows into another, and the viewers have to watch them in the designated order to gain the information they need.
• You can hold Q&A sessions and ask people to pay for the number of hours or sessions they want to attend. And during these live sessions, you answer questions your audience has directly.

How to get started with Webinars?

I recommend using WebinarJam or Demio to host your webinars.

Demio offers a 14-day free trial where you can organize one-hour long webinar sessions with 20 attendees.

Let me walk you through the step-by-step process of using Demio to conduct your webinar.

1. Create your Demio account.

To create your free account, all you need to do is enter your name and email.

2. Create your Event.

After you create your account, you will be redirected to your Dashboard. Here you can create your event.

When you select Add New Event, you are presented with two options.

The first option is for a Live Event; the second is for a Pre-recorded Event. For this process, I'm going to continue with the Live Event option.

You now have to type in the Name of your event and click on Continue.

You can select the date and time for your event in the next step.

3. Customize your Event.

With Demio, you can customize your webinar event page, set up automatic email notifications, and even add presentation slides you plan to use during the webinar.

4. Start your Webinar!

After you are done customizing your event, navigate to your dashboard. Here you can see all your scheduled upcoming events.

When you’re ready to start your event, hit Join Room, and you’re good to go!

Become a YouTube or Instagram Influencer

YouTube.

There is no denying it; YouTube has become a giant, with people spending around one billion hours watching videos every day.

It is the second most visited website after Google.

YouTube has over two billion users worldwide, and you do not need a million subscribers to become successful and make money from YouTube.

But before you try to become successful, you have to define what “success” means to you.

• Views and subscriber count.
• Leads and conversions.
• Deeper engagement with your brand.

According to what you want to achieve with the platform, create your content strategy.

How to start and grow your YouTube channel from zero.

• Focus on one niche and build all your videos around that topic.
• Analyze other channels in your industry and see what videos are performing best. Reformating these videos is the easiest way to grow your channel and create content that people are looking for.
• Hosting giveaways is another excellent way to grow organically.
• Create a YouTube video series. This will encourage your one-time viewers to subscribe to your channel.
• Collaborate with other YouTubers to gain access to their audience.
• Take advantage of YouTube Cards. YouTube cards are the interactive “slides” or clickable links that you see when a video is nearly done playing. This will encourage viewers to stay on your channel by enticing them with content they might be interested in.

How you can earn with YouTube.

• Earn money from ads.
• Sell products, services, or merchandise.
• Pitch your project idea and vision to your community, and ask them to support you with funds if they feel your idea is compelling enough.
• Ask your audience to support you on Patreon and, in exchange, offer exclusive content.
• License your content in exchange for money. If any of your videos go viral, you can use platforms like Juken Media to sell your video to media outlets like TV news channels, morning shows, and online news sites.
• Become a brand ambassador.
• Earn money from affiliate marketing.
• Give free value on youtube and encourage your subscribers to purchase your online courses.

Instagram.

Influencer marketing has exploded on Instagram, and it is now one of the best platforms for you to make money as an influencer.

With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram has become the social media powerhouse of 2020 and the number one platform for Influencer Marketing.

There are several ways of making money as an influencer on Instagram, regardless of your niche.

• Sponsored posts/reviews.
• Endorsing brands and becoming a brand ambassador.
• Become an affiliate and sell other people’s products.
• Sell your own physical products.
• Sell drop-shipped products.
• Sell your photographs. Instagram is a photo-sharing platform, and pictures are assets that you can license, print, and sell in various ways.

The most profitable niches on Instagram.

1. Travel.

If you want to become a travel blogger, Instagram is the place for you! The global online travel market has been estimated to reach $817.54 billion in 2020.

As a travel blogger, there are a few ways you can make money on Instagram.

• Sponsored campaigns with tourism boards.
• Promote photo filters.
• Providing consulting services like travel planning.

2. Beauty.

The beauty industry has adopted social media for influencer marketing like no other. There is a reason why 83% of beauty brands on Instagram are working with influencers.

That is because 63% of beauty shoppers claim they have greater trust in brands they can find on Instagram.

These statistics prove, without a doubt, why the beauty niche is thriving on Instagram.

Besides the traditional ways of making money from Instagram that I’ve mentioned before, as a beauty blogger, you can partner with brands and co-create product lines.

3. Fashion.

98% of fashion brands are leveraging Instagram.

57% of these fashion brands on Instagram engage in Influencer Marketing.

Due to fashion designers, editors, and bloggers on Instagram, the fashion niche is becoming more and more popular.

According to Statista, revenue in the fashion industry is estimated to reach $664,474m in 2020.

How you can make money as a fashion blogger.

• Classes / Online mentoring.
• Events and Invitations.
• Photography & other creative services.

Other niches that you can target are:

• Health and Fitness.
• Lifestyle.
• Photography.
• Business.
• Music.
• Food.
• Animals.

How to Improve Your Work Ethic Skills?

When it comes to achieving goals, work ethic is the ultimate factor for success.

After reading so far, you now understand the importance of developing a strong work ethic and how it can take you a long way in your career.

I’ll now give you seven practical and actionable strategies that you can implement to develop and improve your work ethic skills.

1. Use Beeminder.

Beeminder is an application that is perfect if you don’t have a boss or a manager who will hold you accountable and ensure that you stick to your deadlines.

It is essentially a commitment contract that will take money out of your wallet if you fail to achieve the tasks you committed to doing.

If commitment is something you struggle with, Beeminder is excellent for you.

Why Beeminder will help you.

• You can quantify your goal and track your progress with concrete steps.
• It doesn’t allow you to procrastinate or change your goals due to laziness.
• You can break down your goals into smaller, manageable, everyday tasks.

If you want to keep your money, you have to keep up with your goals. It’s as simple as that.

2. Let your goals and progress be known.

Sharing goals can help you accomplish tasks more efficiently, but this can go both ways.

Research shows that the impact of accountability depends heavily on whom you choose to hold you accountable and what kind of accountability is in question.

Share your goals with someone you trust, someone you know will not demotivate you but at the same time, not cut you any slack.

More than your friends or family, it is recommended that you share your goal with a higher-up or a mentor. Because when you do so, they don’t just hold you accountable but also keep you motivated because you care about what they think about you.

3. The Two-day Rule.

The two-day rule is a strategy that I was introduced to by the YouTuber Matt D’Avella.

While it is tough to develop a routine, and without self-discipline, it is so much easier to get distracted and fall back to your same old habits.

The two-day rule states that you should never skip your tasks for two days in a row.

This strategy is excellent to improve your self-discipline and do so in a way that isn’t overwhelming.

4. The Burnout Day.

Choose one day out of the week. This will be the day when you push yourself to the fullest and pick up tasks that you keep putting off for later.

Tackle obstacles that scare you and force yourself to concentrate even when your entire body is protesting against the idea of working.

Challenging yourself week after week, even when you want to give up, stretches your work ethic.

Each time you force yourself to be persistent, your work ethic will get better. After each day, you will feel proud after accomplishing your task and will be more motivated to move forward and push yourself.

5. The +1 Routine.

Every time you finish a task or a project, push yourself to add just one more detail.

When you have just completed a project, you already feel a deep sense of accomplishment. When to take an extra step, it makes you feel even more motivated.

This momentary burst of energy will motivate you to push yourself even further. Over time you will start pushing yourself more and more, and your quality of work will skyrocket.

6. Creation versus Critique.

Self-critique is of utmost importance, but you cannot function creatively and analyze your work at the same time. While it may be very tempting to do so, it does more harm than good.

When you are creating something, your mind must be focused solely on this task.

Every time you step back to analyze the quality of your work, you keep interrupting the flow of your thoughts, which may cause you to remain stuck in the same phase. This makes it difficult for you to move forward.

You need to approach creation and critique in isolation.

When you are in the creation process, all you should think about is to create. Don’t analyze how good it is or if it is in the right frame; just keep brainstorming and coming up with ideas.

After you are done with the creation phase, then move on to the critiquing step to analyze what is good and discard what is not. Look for cracks in your work, but don’t start filling them yet.

When you are done with the critiquing phase, go back to the creation phase, and fill these gaps.

This process will help you keep propelling and not stay stuck in the name of quality. You will be able to see real progress when you follow this strategy.

7. Start your day strongly.

Many people talk about the benefits of waking up early to accomplish tasks. While I am an early riser myself, I understand that everyone has their own time of the day when they are the most productive.

But one thing you should acknowledge is that whatever you do in the morning, you will carry the same energy throughout the day.

If you have a productive morning, you will be much more motivated to get things done.

But if you wake up and laze around spending an hour on social media without even getting out of bed, your day is doomed even before you start.

One small but powerful strategy to wake up early that has helped me more than anything else is to keep your phone (or alarm) far from your bed.

This ensures that you have to get up from your bed to turn it off. Beware, never hit the snooze button!

Ready to Use Your Work Ethic to Make More Money?

Now you know exactly what to do to develop a strong work ethic and turn that into a highly profitable business.

You’ve learned how to demonstrate your work ethic to succeed in your job and tactics you can use to highlight your work ethic in your resume, cover letter, and job interview.

Work ethic doesn’t just improve your way of living but also creates a defined path for achieving your goals. Granted, it is not an easy task, but let’s be honest. Why wouldn’t you want to cultivate a solid work ethic if it ultimately lets you live life in abundance?

All that is left now is to implement what you have learned and design a life for yourself that you love living.

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