Money Comes In Different Forms

bydonco6

1.3K followers

4 years ago

When you're considering the cost-to-benefit ratio of your online work, don't overlook the benefits that accrue outside of cash income.

My most active niche right now is vacation rentals. I rent some excess timeshare weeks through my website Cowboy Concierge. I've begun making over $1,000 per rental, with eight weeks rented last year, and two more already this year. I spend 3 months in Mexico where I don't work much on the site, and another 3 months or so with other travels, so all of the real work is done over six months, with some updating in between as I can.

But I've picked up a new source of income on top of that.

We've also seen a lot of growth on our voucher program. This is a program where we offer a voucher to stay at any resort we have. The voucher allows guests to stay at the resort for just the cost of an owner's maintenance fee. In return, the resort gives us a credit of $300 for each person we send their way. We've given out 10 vouchers last year, and already five this year - all through the web site promotion work.

The work has been so successful that - though we're supposed to be limited to ten vouchers per year - we met with the resort sales staff, showed them the site and the avenues we use to attract customers (Web, Mailchimp, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram), and they agreed to forward us as many vouchers as we can use! Free Munny!

We use the credit to offset the costs of our 3 month stay. Food, drinks, golf, massages - money that stays in our pocket instead of going to the resort.

The point - Be Creative! There are other ways to make it all work for you. And don't be afraid to pitch your idea to people who can reward you. The reaction we got was overwhelmingly positive. You are becoming an expert in something most people know nothing about. Use it to your advantage - and theirs.