Making Sense of Cents

ChooseFI | Financial Independence Podcast

Jonathan Mendonsa & Brad Barrett | Choose FI Media, Inc

Careers, Business, Investing

4.8 • 5.2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 April 2018

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A financial analyst turned digital nomad now earns $1.5 million annually from her blog — and documents everything along the way. Michelle from Making Sense of Sense started by publicly tracking her debt payoff journey in 2011. Three years ago, she was making $13,000 per month from blogging, which seemed like success. But she's since 10x'd that income while living full-time in an RV with a 95% savings rate. Michelle's story shows what's possible when you combine authentic personal finance storytelling with strategic affiliate marketing and consistent content creation. She breaks down her approach to understanding reader needs, maintaining a conversational writing style, and leveraging Pinterest for traffic. Her transition from documenting personal struggles to building a million-dollar business demonstrates how blogging can become a viable career path, not just a side hustle. Beyond the income strategies, Michelle offers insights into the digital nomad lifestyle — the practicalities of RV living, how she structures her workday around exploration and outdoor activities, and the mindset shifts required to embrace location independence. Her transparent approach to sharing both successes and struggles has built a strong community around her work. Key Topics: Introduction to Michelle [00:00:39] Background and initial motivations for starting her blog. Michelle's Blogging Journey [00:01:38] Evolution from documenting personal finance struggles to building a successful blog. Understanding Affiliate Marketing [00:08:10] Strategies on how to leverage affiliate marketing for income. Living as a Digital Nomad [00:24:09] Insights into her RV lifestyle and the freedom it provides. Pinterest as a Marketing Tool [00:38:00] Tips on utilizing Pinterest for blogging success. Michelle's Hot Seat Questions [00:51:24] Rapid-fire responses that highlight her personal insights and experiences. Key Quotes: "Sharing personal journeys empowers others to take charge of their financial future." [00:13:45] "Conversational writing builds connection: Engage your readers authentically." [00:11:16] "Visual appeal is vital for online success: Make your graphics pop!" [00:40:00] Related Resources: Michelle's Affiliate Marketing Course: Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing [00:49:01]

Transcript

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0:00.0	Your listening to Choose FI Radio.
0:09.6	The blueprint for financial independence lives here.
0:20.4	If you're looking to unblocked as secrets to financial independence and early retirement,
0:25.4	you're in the right place.
0:27.2	Stay tuned and join a community of like-minded people who are getting all fans to hear
0:32.0	and taking control of their lives in the pursuit of financial independence.
0:36.3	Choose FI, your home for financial independence online.
0:41.2	Hey guys, welcome to the Choose FI Radio podcast.
0:53.0	Today we are going to be talking with Michelle from Making Sense of Sense.
0:57.3	This is going to be an extremely cool episode because one we're going to find out a little
1:00.5	bit about her backstory and then she is the prototype for what a digital nomad laptop lifestyle
1:06.8	actually looks like.
1:08.4	She's such a regular person.
1:09.7	She documents her journey all along the way.
1:12.3	She's one of the people that Brad pointed me towards as someone that has almost an
1:15.9	outlier, someone that has figured something out that people aren't talking about.
1:20.4	This story is going to be wildly fascinating both if you're inside the industry of blogging
1:24.8	but also if you're considering what are the possibilities when you decide to pursue an
1:29.8	alternative income stream for you and your family that doesn't tie you to one specific
1:34.1	geographic location.
1:35.1	So to help me with this, I have my co-host Brad here with me today.
1:38.0	How you doing buddy?
	...

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