Saturday, May 9th, 2026

First off… sorry for missing yesterday’s update.

I felt absolutely terrible and decided to take the night off. I think I ate something bad because my stomach basically declared war on me for an entire day. Not exactly the glamorous “entrepreneur lifestyle” people imagine when they hear the words make money online.

But honestly, I think moments like that are important to talk about too.

A lot of people online only show the wins. The screenshots. The excitement. The “look at me” moments.

But the reality is that building an online business is still real life. Sometimes you’re motivated and productive. Sometimes you’re laying in bed wondering why your burrito betrayed you.

Anyways… let’s get into the update.

Current May 2026 Earnings Update

So as of today, the amount of money that has actually hit my bank account for May is sitting at:

$1,137.08

Not bad considering we’re still early into the month.

I’m also expecting another affiliate payout next week along with my regular paycheck from my call center job, so my running total for May should jump up pretty nicely soon.

And honestly, I still think it’s kind of surreal sometimes.

There was a point in my life where making even an extra couple hundred dollars online felt almost impossible. Now I’m at the point where online commissions are becoming a normal part of my monthly income.

That doesn’t mean I’ve “made it” yet.

But it does mean progress is real.

And I think that’s something a lot of people need to hear.

You do not need to become an overnight millionaire for your life to start changing.

Sometimes your life changes because:

• Your rent gets easier to pay

• Your stress goes down

• You stop panicking over bills

• You finally feel hope again

• You realize escape might actually be possible

That stuff matters more than people think.

My Email List Just Crossed 4,040 Leads

This part honestly makes me really happy.

My email list has officially grown to:

4,040 leads

Most of this growth has been coming from:

• Solo ads

• Facebook ads

• Organic content

And honestly… I think I made the right decision keeping my Facebook ad budget relatively low for now.

I’d rather grow steadily and sustainably than go full maniac mode and burn through money trying to scale too aggressively.

That’s one thing I’ve learned over time:

A lot of people online try to scale before they even have something proven.

I’d rather play the long game.

Slowly build the audience.
Slowly build the systems.
Slowly build trust.

Because once trust is there, everything becomes easier.

I Tried A Different Style Of YouTube Video

So yesterday I uploaded something that was actually pretty different for me.

Instead of making another review video, I made more of a “normal YouTuber” style video.

The topic was about building a five-hour online work week and what it realistically takes to create something like that.

And honestly?

It was fun.

It reminded me that content creation doesn’t always have to feel like work. Sometimes it’s good to experiment a little and try different angles just to keep yourself creatively alive.

The views actually weren’t bad either.

Which makes me wonder…

Maybe I’ve boxed myself in mentally a little too much.

Maybe I don’t only have to be “the review guy.”

Maybe there’s room to build a real personality-driven brand too.

And honestly, I think people connect with personality way more than perfection anyway.

People don’t want another polished corporate robot.

They want someone real.

Someone who admits when they’re confused.
Someone who admits when they’re impulsive.
Someone who admits when they’re still figuring things out.

That’s way more relatable.

I Bought Another Course Impulsively

Alright… confession time.

I bought another mid-ticket course yesterday.

Completely on impulse.

One of my mentors showed it to me and my brain basically went:

“Yup. I need this immediately.”

So now here we are.

The good news is I only need around two sales to become profitable on the investment, so logically it’s probably not the end of the world.

But at the same time…

I do recognize that I have a bit of shiny object syndrome sometimes.

Okay maybe more than “a bit.”

I think one of the biggest traps in the make money online space is constantly feeling like the next thing will finally be “the thing.”

The next strategy.
The next funnel.
The next course.
The next traffic source.
The next magic button.

And honestly?

I think I’ve finally realized something important.

I Think I Already Found My “Holy Grail”

Today I spent a lot of time thinking deeply about what’s actually making me money.

Not what’s exciting.
Not what’s trendy.
Not what other marketers are hyping up this week.

Just pure results.

And when I look at everything objectively…

YouTube video reviews have been BY FAR the most powerful strategy I’ve ever used.

Not even close.

I’ve tried:

• Instagram

• TikTok

• Facebook

• Blogging

• Solo ads

• Facebook ads

• Different funnels

• Different systems

• Different business models

And yet somehow…

Simple YouTube review videos continue to outperform almost everything else for me.

I genuinely don’t know why more people aren’t building review channels.

Maybe people think it’s boring.
Maybe they overcomplicate it.
Maybe they’re scared to put themselves out there.
Maybe they underestimate how powerful YouTube search traffic really is.

But for me personally?

Those videos have literally changed my life financially.

And honestly… I think one of my biggest mistakes was taking my foot off the gas.

Instead of doubling down on what was already working, I kept chasing new shiny objects hoping I’d discover some hidden secret strategy.

Meanwhile the “secret strategy” was already sitting right in front of me the whole time.

Make more videos.

That’s it.

Simple doesn’t always feel exciting.

But simple works.

And I think deep down, I already know what I need to do now.

I need to stop overthinking everything.
Stop constantly switching directions.
Stop searching for magic shortcuts.

And just keep publishing.

Video after video.
Review after review.
Story after story.

Until I can quit my call center job for the second time in my life.

And honestly…

“I quit my job again” would make a pretty hilarious future blog title.

Final Thoughts

If you’re reading this right now and you feel stuck in life, I just want you to know something:

You probably do not need to become a completely different person to change your future.

You might just need:

• One skill

• One strategy

• One breakthrough

• One audience

• One decision to finally stay consistent

That’s it.

Most people quit way too early because they keep assuming success has to look complicated.

Sometimes it’s literally just:

• Learn

• Apply

• Improve

• Repeat

Over and over again.

Anyways, that wraps up Day 85.

If you want to learn the exact type of online business model that helped me start generating income online, you can check out my free training here:

https://jacksdigitalventures.com/freetraining

And if you want to find my YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and everything else, you can find all my links here:

https://jacksdigitalventures.com/linkinbio