I just received the following email from one of my mentees:

"I just got my first order ever. It was for $147. I think I am going to print it out and frame it!"

Heck yeah, frame that thing! This is a big moment.

Whether it is through BuidlingYourIdealPractice.com or TheArticleGuy.com, one of my greatest professional joys is hearing the excitement of a student, member or mentee who has made their first passive income.

3 steps to passive income

The student that emailed today is not in a traditional helping profession. She is a piano teacher. What's great about this is that her success demonstrates that these principles work in any area of expertise.

Step 1 - Clearly define your niche.

This is where most entrepreneurs sabotage themselves at the start. Afraid to be too narrowly focused, they try to market to everyone.

Simply stated, if you do not have a specifically defined niche, you have no one to market to.

Step 2 - Identify a common problem in your niche.

What keeps your ideal client up at night worrying? What scares them? Where is their pain?

You can discover this by asking informally (asking just one person that fits your niche) or formally (survey, questionnaire, etc.)

Step 3 - Provide a solution to their problem in form they can use.

Help people solve their problems and you can have a customer or client for life.

Provide solutions in an easily accessible form, such as an e-book or audio CD, etc.

Enjoy your first order and every one after too.