From $0 to $33,564: How I Built a Five-Figure Digital Product

Five years, six months, seven days, and eight attempts. 

That’s what it took to build my first five-figure digital product.

I don’t have all the answers, but here’s everything I’ve learned on my journey, from earning my first $1 online to building a $10,000+ digital product.

My Journey from $0 to $33,564

• 1. The Psychology of Confidence (eBook)
• 2. 28-Days to Better Confidence (Online Course)
• 3. The ONE Habit (Online Course)
• 4. The Evening Routine (Online Course)
• 5. The Habit Masterclass  (Online Course)
• 6. The Science of Self-Confidence  (Seminar)
• 7. Directive (Audiobook)
• 8. Sam’s Commonplace Book (Resource)

1. The Psychology of Confidence (eBook)

I earned my first dollar from a Kindle book I wrote called The Psychology of Confidence. 

The book didn’t sell well due to Amazon’s then Kindle gold rush. But it did instill in me the belief I needed to make money online.

2. 28-Days to Better Confidence (Online Course)

In 2014, I was broke. And I had no idea where my next paycheck would come from.

Out of desperation, I pitched Coach.me, an online coaching platform, a confidence-building course repurposed from parts of my book.

Coach.me accepted.

And what happened next was life-changing.

Before the launch, Coach’s CEO Tony Stubblebine promised a 50/50 revenue split.

But because Coach didn’t track referrals on courses at the time, Tony awarded me 70 percent instead. 

I laughed when he called it “a bank error in your favor.”

Then I saw the numbers…

The course made over $5,000. That was more money than I had ever made in my entire life.

I knew I was onto something.

Revenue: $5,000+

3. The ONE Habit (Online Course)

In a bid to repeat the success of 28DtBC, I wrote another course—this time on building habits—and pitched it to Coach.

The title was a play on The ONE Thing by Gary Keller.

But it didn’t matter: 

The course bombed.

I was right back to square one.

Revenue: Unknown.

4. The Evening Routine (Online Course)

I then launched a new course called “The Evening Routine.”

And, fearing my videos would suck, I priced it at a reasonable $7.

The course didn’t earn much, as expected. But it did give me the confidence to use video moving forward.

Revenue: $290

5. The Habit Masterclass (Online Course)

Not wanting to quit upon habits as a topic, I made a second, albeit better course than The ONE Habit.

The Habit Masterclass performed better than its predecessor, but the material wasn’t up to scratch, so I shelved it indefinitely.

Revenue: $3,289

6. The Science of Self-Confidence (Seminar)

Inspired by “The Habit Workshop” by James Clear, I made a similar 90-minute seminar about self-confidence.

In hindsight, I undersold it at $39, so it didn’t make much. Shortly thereafter, I joined Sleeknote and put digital products on hold.

Revenue: $744

7. Directives (Audiobook)

In 2019, I felt the itch to make digital products again. 

I’d written an ebook called Directives that was well-received. 

So I recorded the audio version and sold it to new subscribers as a tripwire product.

I didn’t promote it much, but it felt good making digital products again.

Revenue: $427.50.

8. Sam’s Commonplace Book (Resource)

Sam’s Commonplace Book is the product that changed everything.

Many have copied it; others have lifted entire sections of the sales page.

But after three iterations and ongoing improvements, it continues to sell like hotcakes.

And it’s the product I’m most proud of.

(Built inside Notion, of course.)

Revenue: $33,564 (and counting)

Conclusion

It took me five years, six months, seven days, and eight attempts to make a digital product that sold well.

But it was also the one I was, and still am, most excited about and continue to use myself.

You can’t iterate unrealized ideas, so don’t be afraid to ship. The worst-case scenario is a small percentage of customers will ask for a refund.

The best-case scenario? You will add more value to the marketplace and be compensated accordingly.