Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
Brian Luebben had climbed to the top of the corporate ladder, landing a prestigious position in a Fortune 500 sales organization in his mid-twenties and earning a substantial salary.
But then he realized a shocking truth: he didn't want that life.
Not only did he want financial success, he also wanted to quit his corporate job and travel the world full-time while having the freedom to shape his life and career as his own boss.
With the success of his podcast, which evolved into his growing media company, Brian turned his vision into reality.
Today he is living his dream, traveling the world, earning passive income and pursuing projects that are close to his heart – like his Action Academy. Brian's story embodies entrepreneurial success coupled with personal fulfillment.
Brian recently sat down with Pat Flynn to tell his story on The Passive Income Podcast.
Determined to balance his career with his ideal lifestyle, Brian transitioned from business life to full-time traveler by following this plan:
- Determining your ideal vision for the future
- Create a solid financial foundation
- Create content and collect customer data
- Develop a product tailored to the needs of its audience
- Adjusting its business strategy in response to customer feedback
- Generate recurring revenue
- Looking for future growth opportunities
Plan your job exit
Set your ideal vision for the future
So how do you determine your next steps after quitting your job to travel? How do you even begin to replace a company salary? With so many unknowns, Brian was sure of one thing: instead of running from something, he wanted to run toward something.
This meant developing a three-year “living vision” for his personal and professional ambitions. By putting his dreams on paper, he received a clear roadmap.
Here is the picture he painted:
“I wake up in the morning and feel the hot cobblestones of this balcony on my feet, and when I look out I can see the sea. I don't have any calls all morning, but I have meetings with my team in the afternoon. With a Mac and a microphone, I can make money anywhere in the world.”
A financial basis for full-time travel
Now that Brian had a clear destination in mind, he had to plan the route there. His next step, which he calls “building a financial foundation,” was investing in real estate.
Brian developed a portfolio of single-family homes, generating enough passive income to cover his living expenses and begin to replace his corporate salary.
Even though Brian could essentially live for free, he aspired to something greater. He took a bold step and decided to sell his real estate so he could “fence the fences” and focus on his true passions: his podcast and his online business.
“What’s the worst-case scenario that happens when you quit your job and put everything on yourself, right? “You’re running out of money. What happens now? You leave and look for another job. So your worst-case scenario is your reality today, right?”
Turn your side hustle into a thriving online business
Start creating content
Now that you have set your vision for the future, established a financial foundation, and are ready to take risks to pursue your passions, it's time to start building your online business. But where do you start?
Brian explains that the first step is to simply start producing content in any format that showcases your skills and interests and see what resonates with your audience.
Brian has achieved this by hosting his podcast, The Action Academy, where he provides insight to people who share his desire – to build a business around their lives, not the other way around.
Collect customer data
To increase sales and better serve his target audience, Brian wanted to learn more about their needs. He offered a free 15-minute coaching session to 100 listeners each. During these sessions, he asked them about the challenges and obstacles they faced in achieving their business goals. This approach allowed him to collect a wealth of valuable customer data.
Why offer this free service? According to Brian, many entrepreneurs encounter a common pitfall: creating solutions to problems that don't really exist. To avoid falling into this trap, Brian wanted to engage directly with his audience to find out exactly what the market was demanding.
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Create a product that your target audience really needs
Now that Brian had this useful customer data, he decided to create a course that was directly tailored to the needs of his target audience. He developed a comprehensive 12-week, 52-hour program and approached the original 100 clients of the free coaching sessions by offering them the course for $1,500 each.
In just 48 hours, Brian earned $100,000.
Position your company for growth
The company you imagine may look different in reality. Because continued business growth depends on the ability to identify opportunities for expansion and make adjustments when necessary.
Brian experienced this when he created a Facebook group for his students to connect. Members began forming partnerships and making deals within the group. Finally, discussions arose about the value of the group beyond the course itself.
Recognizing this as an opportunity, Brian rethought his strategy and initiated a new phase for his company: community building.
“The key is to just start one step at a time and iterate, making changes as you take in customer feedback and ask your customer: What do you want?”
Generate recurring revenue to encourage full-time travel
What was next for Brian after he came to this realization? He adjusted his business model to focus on community building and monetization. The course has been converted into a 30-day onboarding process that is now offered free within the community.
This shift resulted in community members finding greater success by connecting with peers at a similar stage as themselves or those who had overcome similar challenges. These connections provided valuable guidance and support, helping members to be more effective in their journey.
This business change also opened the door for Brian to have recurring income, the key to unlocking full-time travel. Unlike the one-time transactions of individual course sales, annual memberships promised the community ongoing financial stability and engagement.
Today the community has around 200 active members and is looked after by Brian and a team of five. In the first year, Brian's company is expected to achieve annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $1.2 million.
“The reason I chose this focus was because the course material was not the answer. People were the answer. People have always been the answer.”
Living life as a full-time digital nomad
looking ahead
Brian's upcoming plans include preparing for membership growth by considering adjustments such as expanding his team and distributing responsibilities among his employees to ensure sustainability.
He also plans to launch a referral program in his community to encourage member engagement and encourage organic growth.
In addition, Brian wants to increase the visibility of his company and attract new members by creating short-form content. With an Instagram following of over 200,000 users, he demonstrates a strong ability to attract and retain a significant audience.
A living vision realized
Brian is now living out his initial “living vision”: traveling the world as his own boss while continuing to grow his online business. His goal was never to retire and just relax on the beach somewhere, he says. Instead, he advocates building a business around something you love: quitting your job to travel full-time, not wander.
When your business is fun, sales and profits become natural byproducts. It is what he calls “passionate income” as opposed to passive income.
Brian's central message is clear: There is no reason to postpone happiness. Joy and fulfillment are now available and anyone can realize and achieve them with the right guidance and resources.
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Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
