$20,636 in Sales, $45 in Royalties and a Billboard Dream

The projects funding my freedom right now, and replacing Ramsey in Vegas 😂

My absolute favourite email subject line right now is;

In the 11 days since my Shopify store went live and my Facebook ads started running, I've received six of these fabulous emails, which have added up to 15 packs of my Travel Challenge Cards sold. (One person bought 6 packs, and two others bought 3 each!)

Whoop, whoop! 🥳

It's such a sweet feeling to see sales come through on a shop you built, with a product you created.

Walmart isn't losing any sleep just yet, but we've all got to start somewhere. 😂

My Latest AI adventure

Meanwhile, after months of battling Amazon, I'm finally back up, rocking and rolling and selling my cards on the platform again. Woohoo! 🎉

Which, for me, meant falling head first down an AI rabbit hole, because video & graphics are the name of the game for selling these cards.

Today I’ve been playing with plugging Claude into my Shopify store and an AI creative studio called Higgsfield, via something called an MCP (which is basically a connector between your AI and the platforms you use).

I’ve then spent the entire day feeding Claude all my brand stuff and playing with making AI graphics & videos, and I've got so much to share with you.

Honestly this stuff is a game changer.

This past couple of weeks I’ve completely redesigned my Shopify product page and created a brand new separate gift page for the holiday season coming up. Something that would have cost me tens of thousands a couple of years ago has taken me a few days of prompting, and it's done it all, without me needing to know a single line of code.

NB: If you've got an idea sitting in a drawer because you can't code or can't afford a designer, that excuse has pretty much left the building.

Have a nosey at the new gift page here. I'd love your feedback. (We're only shipping to the US for now, so sorry fellow Brits, you'll have to send your American friends instead.)

Please tell me in the comments what would make you more likely to buy them as a gift. Be brutal, I can take it (mostly).

The 3 Projects Funding My Freedom (or trying to)

As you know, I’ve been building online businesses for 16 years, and right now I’m working on a whole set of new projects. Partly because I’m having a blast. I love building, travelling, growing audiences and trying out new experiments.

But also because I want a collection of products and income streams I can run from anywhere in the world, so I can keep travelling, creating and living my ideal lifestyle.

This is what I'm working on.

1. This Big World: travel products

Just over $20,600 in sales so far!

It's been a slow start, but it's a start, and I've got just over 3,000 packs left to sell. Q4 is looming, which is when these cards should come into their own. (If I can't sell a travel gift at Christmas, I can't sell it at all.)

These cards aren't going to make me a multimillionaire, but I've got ideas for more products I want to launch in 2027, and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you (and getting your input) as this brand grows.

2. Amazon KDP: writing books

I've wanted to become an author for years, and I have some BIG goals for this one.

I have to be honest, one of my crazy dreams is to see one of my books advertised on a billboard in Vegas. (I was visualising it when I was there earlier this year - move over Gordon Ramsey 😂)

So when I saw this post by Cara Alwill I was thrilled!

I Bought Myself a Billboard in Times Square. Here’s Why You Should Too.

It feels a bit silly to admit it out loud as it’s total vanity right? But I always remember Gary Vaynerchuk talking about ‘owning your ego’ and being comfortable with the things you want to achieve in life.

Well a Vegas billboard is one of mine, and one of these days I'll buy a spot, but only when I've (written) and sold enough books to justify it.

And I'm well on my way!!!

Because my first book, Screw Retirement, has now sold a grand total of... dun, dun, DUN... 13 copies, earning me the princely sum of $45.12 in royalties!

JK Rowling, hold on to your hat. 😂

It says 2 books as I have a planner uploaded also which has made 0 sales at this stage

You can grab a copy of Screw Retirement on Amazon.

I'm currently putting the finishing touches on my next book, ‘Freedompreneur’. The draft is finished and it's coming soon….

I know plenty of you have a book in you too (you keep telling me!), so I look forward to sharing the KDP process as my library grows!

3. Substack: this little corner of the internet

My third project is this one, right here.

Substack has been an interesting experiment because I've blown a bit hot and cold this year.

I've tried lots of different approaches and spent a bit too much time trying to work out what has and hasn't worked for me. And in all honesty, the growth has been a bit disappointing.

But Substack is going to be right up there in my top priorities for 2027, and I've been watching some very clever people do it brilliantly.

If you're working on growing your own publication, these three lovely ladies are worth a follow.

• Yana G.Y. of Unplugged has just hit 1,000 paid subscribers while doing this part time alongside her job. She's doing some very clever things.

• Tracy Friedlander of Second Act Strategist has just earned her orange Bestseller tick (over 100 paid subs). I love how down to earth she is, and she shares some cracking tips about notes, engagement and how to grow on Substack.

• Olivia Wickstrom of Petal & Hearth I've been following for a long time now. She's one of those people you watch what she does as well as listens to what she says. She's a clever lady.

I'm paying close attention to all three, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with more of what I'm learning and sharing it with you as we all grow.

And The Next Adventure?

I'm currently back in the UK, but it's a bit too bloody cold for me here 🥶.

Chiang Mai is calling I think. I'm itching to get around other solopreneurs, nomads and collaborators, meet interesting people and soak up some entrepreneurial energy, and Chiang Mai in Thailand is the place to be for this kind of action.

Hot Tip

If you’re working on a project and you’re stuck, or a bit lonely doing it, or you just want some impetus to move it forward, my hot tip is to get around other people who are doing what you want to do.

If you can’t do it in person, do it online. Join groups, forums and communities, and go and find the people who are already doing it. There’s no greater motivation than being around like-minded people.

Anyway, I’ve got to run. I’ve got cards to sell, a book to launch and hopefully a few more of those lovely order emails heading my way.

Who knows, maybe one day there’ll be a This Big World billboard in Times Square too. 😂

So tell me, what’s your billboard? What are you working on right now, and how are you seeing out the year? Pop it in the comments, I’d love to cheer you on.