My Newest Venture: The Audience Business Masterclass

This is it. I’m putting my money where my mouth is and feeling a bit trepidatious.

I’ve decided to sign up for Danny Iny’s Audience Business Masterclass in a last-ditch attempt to fire up my design business.

Danny Iny is a successful online marketer and the founder of FirePole Marketing. He’s been described as the Freddy Krueger of Blogging for popping up everywhere in the blogosphere. Lol

I heard about Danny and the Audience Business Masterclass via Ana Hoffman’s blog, Traffic Generation Cafe. I’m a loyal subscriber to her email list, so I got an email invitation one day to attend a free webinar.

I know, I know. I’ve been there before, too. I’ve signed up for just about every webinar under the sun, so naturally, I was skeptical. However, I’m glad I tuned in because Danny and Ana’s webinar felt different. I actually got some real, actionable advice and Danny came across as a down-to-earth, credible guy.

Earn $3K-$6K Monthly in 1 Year

What caught my attention was Danny’s unorthodox money-back guarantee. Not just the typical 30-day, no-questions-asked guarantee , but a guarantee that if a student doesn’t earn $3K-$6K per month after one year, he’ll refund the cost of the program, plus $1,000 from his own pocket.

Sounds almost too good to be true, but the prospect of earning that much money from my blog in one year made me think.

Funny enough, I’ve made up my mind that if I don’t make that much after one year, I won’t bother trying to cash in on the guarantee. I’m afraid they’d say, “well, you didn’t do this or that correctly, so you don’t qualify.” And then the proof will be right there…duped yet again.

The other confession I have to make is that I don’t know how dedicated I’ll be after that amount of time. I’m cringing right now at this confession because I know how bad it sounds.

I’m just being realistic. It’s like going on a diet — a very strict one. The masterclass requires anywhere from 10-15 hours per week. In addition, I’ll have to dedicate this amount of time without earning any money for several months to a year.

Can I do this? Is this program for real? I know I have it in me. Whether it’s for real, I don’t know yet.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

You know, for being a reasonably intelligent woman, sometimes I feel so darn stupid. Ok, that sounds harsh. I suppose the better word to use would be, “naive.” I can’t help but wonder if I’m being naive in joining the master class.

Last month, I wrote a guest post about my struggles with debt, and in that post, I outlined some of the reasons why I got into debt in the first place.

One reason was because I started a costume jewelry business. It wasn’t sustainable the way I was running things (I mostly sold at trade shows), so eventually the business fizzled out.

Then I bought into the delusion that I could become a successful Mary Kay consultant. Granted, there were outliers who skyrocketed to the top, but I was in the most saturated market ever. I lived in Texas, for crying out loud.

So, I signed up for Mary Kay with a full stock of cosmetics thinking I could make it big in direct sales. *sigh* Thousands of dollars in debt later, I realized it was yet another failed proposition.

My point is that I have a past. I’ve bought into seemingly lucrative prospects, only to find the flaws in the system (and in myself) too late.

This is why I say the masterclass is my last shot. The last time I’ll buy into a money-making scheme. <– I’m not saying Danny’s program is a scheme, but you know what I mean.

Build an Audience, Build a Business

Aside from the prospect of $3K-$6K a month in one year, the reason for taking the plunge is to learn the ins-and-outs of how to build a business online. I want to learn enough to really help my clients out.

Folks come to me for a web design and inevitably ask what they should do next. I’ve been telling them everything I know, but it’s bits and pieces of a larger puzzle that I have yet to solve. It’s time to earn my stripes and gain some more credibility by building an audience of my own.

Lesson 1: Finding a Niche

It’s been a week since signing up for the Audience Business Masterclass and so far, so good. I’m learning how to identify a profitable niche.

Most impressive up to this point is how receptive Danny and his team have been to questions and emails. He closes every communication with an invitation to email him directly.

The other impressive thing is how regularly they email reminders to watch the videos and do the lessons. I’m sure they have some fancy tracking software in place, but it’s reassuring to know they’re keeping track of my involvement. I need someone to keep me accountable.

Project ABC Case Study

In case you’re wondering, I won’t be actively recapping what I learn from the course because it wouldn’t be fair to Danny. He’s worked hard to put together the program, and I’d hate to give away the farm.

However, if you’d like to follow a case study, Danny’s content editor, Megan, recently started her own project called, Paying For Life.

Megan started the case study to highlight the tenets of the Audience Business Masterclass. From what I can tell, she’s chosen a niche with lots of potential. Definitely one to follow.

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I am sharing my journey in the hopes that you’ll support my efforts. Feel free to hold me accountable by checking in on my progress.

Wish me luck! xo