Keep the income - ditch the business

“I've already got the audience - I need more to sell them.”

James here.

Many years before I met Travis…

In my early years online…

(2009 - 2014ish)

I’d sometimes take part time or temp jobs to make ends meet.

One of those jobs was a financing shop for Kirby Vacuums and SaladMaster cookware.

Expensive “products” that’re sold door-to-door by high pressure sales people.

I worked at this financing place when my kids were little.

It bugged me to charge 25% interest to peeps who were pushed into buying…

Made me feel like a crappy human.

Missing time with my toddlers also bugged me.

Made me feel like a crappy dad.

But what was I gonna do?

I’d feel like an even worse dad if I couldn’t pay rent.

My first thought was to quit the credit company and go balls to the wall creating info products and building my buyers list.

In the long run it’d be good, but…

While my kids were growing?

It’d still be missing first bike rides…

Ice cream at the park…

And walking them into preschool.

Made me realize…

Starting a business (even an online business) to have more free time?

Is like listening to Death Metal to relax.

Not. Gonna. Work.

So what did I do?

I didn’t know it was called this at the time…

The plan I came up with is what Travis calls Piggy-Banking.

I had a product created…

…In this case a simple software for $300.

(Bet today Replit or Bolt.New could make the app in a few minutes.)

And since I didn’t wanna spend months or years building up an audience…

…Missing even more time with my little kids…

… To sell my new software?

I cold DM’ed someone who already had the audience I wanted.

…Demo’d my software to “Dan”…

… He said YES because…

“I've already got the audience - I need more to sell them.”

…And we made a deal for Dan to sell the data from my software to his buyers.

The $300 invested into making the app?

Made $5k the first month…

...And ramped up to a 6 figure income stream the first year.

The best part?

This wasn’t a business.

Not for me.

I spent LITERALLY 1 hour a month using the software to run the reports Dan sold.

The rest of my time was playgrounds and play dates.

My partner “Dan”?

DID have a business…

DID have employees…

DID work 8-5 at least 5 days a week.

He also…

Direct deposited my half of the profit into my bank account on the 1st of every month.

In hindsight?

The direct deposits were what I wanted.

(Not a business.)

It was a fun time.

Also the easiest money I ever made.

Funny enough…

Next week is the anniversary of that first Piggy-Banking deal.

So next week will be Piggy-Banking Week.

It’ll be like Shark Week!

…Except without the sharks:-)

Everything will be about profiting from Piggy-Banking.

If you work a job you wanna leave?

Have kids or family you wanna spend more time with?

Or just stack some nearly-passive income for a rainy day.

You won’t wanna miss next week's notes.

In your corner,
James Foster

PS - Do you have any stories about big or small ways you’ve used piggy-banking?

I’d love to hear them.

…Might even make one of next week’s emails.

Leave them as a comment below (or reply to this email).