ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

Woman Made $40K a Month While on Cruise Around the World, Here's How She Managed 3 Income Streams

Michelle continued running her online business, Making Sense of Cents, from the cruise.
PUBLISHED APR 23, 2024
Cover Image Source: michelleschro | Instagram
Cover Image Source: michelleschro | Instagram

In these high-inflation times, Michelle Schroeder-Gardner took a four-month-long cruise to more than 25 countries and six continents with her husband and baby. According to Michelle, it did cost a lot but also gave her great memories to cherish forever. From sunny Florida, Panama Canal, and French Polynesia, to New Zealand, Asia, and historical sites of the Mediterranean, it was an amazing trip, she said. 

However, what's interesting is the fact that throughout the trip, Michelle continued running her online business. Her company, Making Sense of Cents, started over a decade ago as a blog about her progress toward paying off her student loan. Today, Michelle is earning close to $40,000 per month in semi-passive income through different streams, affiliate marketing, sponsored partnerships, and online courses.


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner (@michelleschro)


 

"I direct some of my earnings toward personal investing and retirement accounts, and receive quarterly dividend payouts," she tells CNBC Make It. Michelle said that she worked just two to three hours per day, excluding port days. 

"I planned my work schedule carefully around our travel plans," she said."I answered emails, wrote blog posts, brainstormed new ideas, handed accounting, addressed anything urgent that needed my attention, and strategized new ways to grow Making Sense of Cents."



 

She says that she built most of her blog posts around affiliated marketing, a strategy that is responsible for about half of her blog's revenue. She says that she writes about products that he trusts and adds a referral link for the products that she likes. "If someone signs up through my link, I earn a commission," she said. "These links can be in posts that I wrote months or even years ago. I can write about a product once, and it can keep earning me money over time," she added. 

Michelle also earns quite a lot from sponsored partnerships which is attributed to 20% of her revenue. She says that she teams up with companies that can promote their products and services from her account. This content can include reviews, or educational posts about what the company offers. " It's a win-win situation: the company gains exposure, and I earn money for creating content and reaching my audience."



 

Lastly, she earns another 20% by selling the courses online. She talks about how it took her a bit of time before she realized that she could earn a lot of money by sharing her industry expertise. She says that she started her course only after hundreds of people approached her and asked to help them monetize their blogs. Michelle now has a guide which she says she should have started earlier. She published her online course platform called Teachable in which she explains how to use affiliate marketing effectively.

She talks about how, on the cruise, she regularly updated the lessons and also managed a Facebook community for the course. "I made sure I was active there at least a few times per week," she says. 

So, that is more or less how Michelle Schroeder-Gardner accrues her monthly revenue while also being on a ship enjoying delicious meals and stirring sunsets.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
Her product could help a lot of people protect their homes and loved ones from deadly fires.
23 minutes ago
A lot of the sharks were unsure about the product due to unfortunate incidents in the past.
2 hours ago
“He seems like a lot of fun as a dad,” Seacrest admired Tony and Mike Nunes' relationship.
4 hours ago
The painting was made by Francois Gilot, the ex-lover of the famous Pablo Picasso.
5 hours ago
However, few fans loved their coordinated moves, "Steve Harvey be sharp all the time!"
6 hours ago
The founder of Chirp scored a creative deal with Lori Greiner after much deliberation.
1 day ago
“Read the room, Ken, not the time to joke when his dream just got crushed,” a viewer slammed.
1 day ago
The guest claimed that her father worked on the film and was gifted the item by the camera crew.
1 day ago
The worst part was that Chum never even called in an expert to take a look at the guitar.
1 day ago
The guest thought that her items were worth $100 but was not expecting them to be in the thousands.
1 day ago
She was stunned by what she saw and the amount of worms that must have been in that bag of nuts.
2 days ago
The company had an innovative product and the sales figures to back up their valuation.
2 days ago
A lot of people gathered to hear the appraisal of the item somewhat related to the notorious killer.
2 days ago
Fans were quick to point out his blunders that cost him the big prize during the round.
2 days ago
The contestant's answer did not make a lot of sense, and Harvey didn't let the opportunity slip by.
2 days ago
Lydon B. Johnson made the piece iconic for being the first ever President to sport a 36mm Day-Date decorated with a silver dial. 
2 days ago
“I don’t understand how people are not paying attention to the last few playings of the game," a fan criticized.
2 days ago
Several consumers have reportedly been affected by the bacteria and 21 have been hospitalized with severe complications.
3 days ago
Mr. Wonderful asked for a ridiculous part of the business at first before changing his offer.
3 days ago
Chum Lee had the cuffs on in front of a customer as Rick Harrison walked out of the store.
3 days ago