Got What it Takes? 8 EBA Students Who are Making a Full-Time Income Online

When it comes to owning an online business, there are three distinct phases people fall into. The first is not knowing where to begin or how to get started. The second is, maybe you’ve already started, but you feel stuck, like you’re missing something. And the third is, perhaps you’ve gotten started, you’ve even started to earn some income and feel like you’ve “arrived”, but you’re wondering…what’s next?

Whatever your case may be, I’m pretty sure a lack of information isn’t the problem. In fact, it’s likely that you’re overwhelmed by the massive (sometimes conflicting) amount of information out there! 

Business owners, whether they’re just starting out or already making millions, often worry about what they are doing right, if they are focusing their time on the right things, if they are spending their money on the right things, and if they are doing things in the right order. What we’ve discovered is that these individuals, like a lot of you, just really want someone to tell them what to do. They want a list of what they should do and in what order, and some assurance that they are in fact “doing the right things.” 

And you know what? Ruth Soukup, founder of Elite Blog Academy & the ACTIVATE Coaching Program has totally been there. When she began her business, she wished for some magical fairy blog-mama to share all her secrets of success. Sadly, that fairy blog-mama never appeared, but she swore to herself that if she ever did figure out the secret, she’d be that fairy blog-mama to someone else!  

While we unfortunately don’t have a magic wand (but – oh wouldn’t that be wonderful!), what we CAN offer IS probably the next best thing: a clearly laid out, step-by-step guide that will show you, in crystal clear detail, exactly what to do to create a successful, profitable, and sustainable online business.

It’s the framework Ruth used to ultimately claim her success, and it’s the framework that more than 12,000 students have used in the years to follow. Our students’ stories continue to prove it each and every year. And while our old Elite Blog Academy program was pretty incredible, our new ACTIVATE Coaching Program is even better. At ACTIVATE, our students are making more progress in less time than ever before, and it has us pretty darn excited! (Still confused about what happened to the old EBA? Be sure to check out this post–it explains everything!)

The thing is, making money from blogging doesn’t have to be credited to a mysterious set of circumstances… you have what it takes, you may just need some help putting it all together.

And, that’s what these 8 students learned through Elite Blog Academy. Here’s their stories of how they started making a full-time income online:  

8 EBA Students Who are Making a Full-Time Income Online

Jennifer Maker | Jennifer Maker

Jennifer Maker joined EBA in 2017. She researched ways to monetize her blog, how to improve her blog, and how to expand her reach.

And, while her traffic was growing, she just wasn’t bringing in any money. Her best month, December, brought in only $108. So she dug deeper. Then, in early 2017, she discovered Elite Blog Academy.

One year after starting EBA, Jennifer’s blog consistently started earning upwards of $20,000 a month. Her traffic has grown from 10,000 page views to more than 230,000 page views a month, and she has added nearly 30,000 subscribers to her email list. She’s launched her own products, mastered affiliate marketing, and created a business she loves, one that she knows will continue to grow.

Jennifer was determined to make it work, and she did. And it worked because she followed the Upside Down Business Model taught in EBA and created a relationship with her audience and had a market BEFORE she started selling. By this point, she already knew exactly what her audience needed and was looking for and was able to sell them something they were already asking for! 

As incredible as it sounds, Jennifer’s story is not entirely unique! Here are what several of our other alumni that now blog full-time say of their experience with EBA: 

Amy Raines | Deliberately Here

Amy Raines from Deliberately Here says, “I wanted to start my online business so that I could make money while I stayed home to raise my family – and (thanks to EBA) I am very happy to report that my dreams, which seemed impossible, have become a reality!

“I had a pie-in-the-sky goal to make $1,000 a month when I first started my blog, and exactly a year after taking EBA I am now making 6x that much! I realized that if I was serious about making money from my blog I NEEDED some direction on where to go and what to do; and that’s exactly what I got from EBA.”

 

Amanda Waterston | The Frugal Little House

Amanda Waterston from The Frugal Little House shares, “I started EBA in March 2017, and completed the course in August of 2018. In September of 2018, I was making the same amount of money from my blog as I was at my full-time job. Since we had just become debt free, I decided to take the biggest leap of faith in my life and quit my job to stay home and work for myself full time.

“All day, I dreamed of being home. It was not easy, but once we looked at the numbers, and could see my blog was making the same amount of money that I made at work, we decided to go for it! 

“I’ve been working from home ever since, and know 100% I made the best decision when I started EBA and my blog. My mental health has never been better, and I wake up every day to my dream life. We have a mini farm and I get to work in my garden, care for our animals, keep our home, make my husband a great breakfast every morning, and be ready to hang out with him in the evenings. All because I took a leap of faith to start a blog and because I had the BEST leader and framework to be successful.

“I’m so amazed at what I have learned in just a few years, and I owe all my success to EBA. It literally provided me the step by step direction to make my dream life come true.”

Caroline Vencil | Live Fully, Budget Fiercely

Caroline Vencil started EBA in 2016. She says, “I had a story that people wanted to hear, I had something that was worth sharing, that was going to be helpful to people, I just never knew it. I was just over there wallowing in self-pity about ‘oh, I’m just a mom’—but no! There was a reason I went through all of that, and so being able to have my blog and find my voice and share that with people—it gave me so much purpose and meaning.

“Now I’m a better mom and a better wife because I found something that makes me happy to my core. EBA® has changed everything, and it has taken me from hating my life as a mom to now being a business owner, and I just love every aspect of it.

“The highlight of my entire life was being able to send in my legal documents to incorporate my business and create an actual company from my blog the day before I turned 25, as the CEO of my company.”

Michelle Schroeder | Making Sense of Cents

Not sure how to turn a hobby blog into a full-time business? Michelle Schroeder of Making Sense of Cents says, “I purchased Elite Blog Academy® [in 2014], and I truly believe that it’s the best blogging course out there.

“I started Making Sense of Cents in 2011 just as a hobby (I didn’t even know that blogs could make money), and eventually left my day job as a financial analyst to blog full-time. I now earn over $100,000 a month from my blog, and have enough invested to retire whenever I want, at just the age of 28.

“I love blogging, though, so I don’t see me stopping anytime soon! My husband and I sold our house in 2015, and have been traveling full-time for a little over 3 years now, and we’re in an RV.”

Tess Masters | The Blender Girl

Overwhelmed by all the things and wish you had a comprehensive, step-by-step system that told you EXACTLY what to do, in what order, and when? So did Tess Masters of The Blender Girl.

Tess says, “EBA® was a game-changer in my business. After blogging for six years with no real systems in place, Ruth’s step-by-step program helped me clean up my online presence; create more engaging content; connect with my audience in a more meaningful way; grow my traffic, build multiple streams of revenue; maximize the potential of my platform, and inspire me with new ideas to grow my business.

“I have purchased many blogging programs and books, and this is hands-down the best content I have ever seen. EBA® is a clear and tangible roadmap for success. Whether you are a new or seasoned blogger, make your way through the modules, do the work, and you will see results. It is the best blogging money I’ve ever spent.”

Mike & Carlie Kercheval | Christian Marriage Adventures

Husband and wife duo Mike and Carlie Kercheval started their blog, Christian Marriage Adventures, in 2014. “When we bought EBA® in 2014, we had been consistently earning money from our blogs for a few years,” they share.

“But it wasn’t until we worked through EBA® that we realized the difference between being a blogger and creating a lifelong, sustainable business. Over the past few years we’ve been able to use our blogs to create a company that is bringing in passive income while we pursue our dreams.

“And the best part? We are using the information in EBA® to help us achieve the goals we have for our family and other businesses, not just our blogs! If you’re looking to get organized and build a real business, EBA® is a no-brainer.”

So do YOU have what it takes to be a successful blogger and run a sustainable online business? 

Here at Elite Blog Academy, we say YES.

In fact, we know it’s possible, because that’s literally our ACTIVATE coaching program is designed to do.

You see, at ACTIVATE, we teach a business model for blogging (also known as content marketing) that is completely different–one that is designed to help you generate REAL revenue as quickly as possible. Our students typically see their first sales within 18-20 weeks of starting at Level 1, most will be generating at least $1,000 a month by the end of their first year, and a significant portion will be generating much more–yes, even six figures.

So what’s the difference?

At ACTIVATE we’re all about teaching you how to build a ego-free business that makes your customer the hero, not you. It’s a model we call the Customer Superhero Path™, which we affectionately call the CSP for short. 

So what is it? 

It’s a business plan that puts your CUSTOMERS first and focuses on creating the right core offer to meet their needs. That way everything else in your business–your blog, your podcast, or even your social media–can lead people to that core offer. We don’t focus on vanity metrics like pageviews and likes and engagement, but instead on creating the content and the products that will best serve your audience.

It’s simple and effective but also much faster and WAY more profitable than “traditional” blogging or influencer marketing. (Call us crazy, but we believe the numbers that actually matter in your business are the number of dollars in your bank account.)

And it’s a model that is helping SO many of our students make massive strides, faster than they ever believed was possible.

Bette Daoust is one of those students.

Bette first started her blog, Bette’s Makes, almost exactly a year ago. At 72 years old, she wasn’t interested in spending years building her platform, but she did think blogging might be fun.

Anxious to get started, she decided to enroll in Elite Blog Academy®. For her first six months she focused on setting up her website, creating content for her blog, setting up a Shopify store, and growing her email list. Unfortunately, like many new bloggers, she found it hard to stay focused on just completing her coursework. 

She got a little distracted and became convinced that she needed to do all the things that she saw “everyone else” talking about. She kept busy creating content and posting to social media in an attempt to increase her pageviews, but she didn’t feel like she really had much direction.

But then last fall, ready to take her business to the next level, she enrolled in our newest signature program, Product Launch Playbook Academy™ (also known as PLPA for short!)

It was during her time in PLPA that Bette’s business really started to take shape. There she learned about the Customer Superhero Path™ and was able to quickly discover the direction that had been lacking. She developed the right lead magnet and entry-level products for her audience, which in turn helped her to begin rapidly growing her email list. She even started seeing some revenue come in as she put her first products out for sale.

Bette was excited, but she also knew she was capable of more.

Thus, when we opened the doors for ACTIVATE for the first time in December 2020, Bette was one of the first people to join.

Her first quarter in ACTIVATE, she learned how to plan and execute what we call a Quarterly Sprint, which allowed her to focus on achieving a small set of very clearly defined goals.

And focus she did!

Her first three months in the ACTIVATE program she generated more than $40,000 in revenue, and successfully took her business from $0 to six figures in less than a year.

Pretty incredible, right?

It’s exactly what happens when you have the right business plan to work with.

In the end, there’s no shortage of opportunities for making money online. But don’t be fooled–not all paths are created equal. When choosing yours, make sure you consider your own desires and passions, as well as how much time you have to invest, since some paths will take longer than others.

Ready to get started?

Download our FREE 6 Figure Blog Plan for a step-by-step guide to growing your predictable and profitable online business in less than a year.