College drop out John Paul Aguiar has an interesting story and I wanted to interview him because we had a lot in common, but more importantly I think he’s  a huge inspiration for people trying to make money online.

He’s like you and me; he’s had various jobs that he hated and even had health obstacles in his life, which he says “was the worst thing that happened to me financially”.

He’s been making money online for over 6 years now and he shares it all on his blog. Enjoy the interview!

Tell us something about you and your site?

I’m not really good at talking about myself.. but I’ll do my best haha   Biggest thing about me is that I’m a Kidney Transplant Rec 8 yr and running strong.  I share that because that is what motivates me every day.  I don’t have a lot of free time but when I do, I spend it scuba diving and going to all my 10 yr old nephews baseball and football games, doing the Greatest Uncle in the World thing J

I have been making money online for about 6 yrs now, I started working online about 10 yrs ago, when I first had health issues, I was in college for architecture, but I had to drop out, that’s when I realized working a 9-5 wasn’t possible.  So I first started with Ebay then with MLM programs then more into Internet Marketing and Affiliate Marketing. And about 1.5 yrs ago I started to get into blogging.

My Blog Money Dummy is mostly about  how to make money with a blog and also make money online.  I keep things pretty simple and straight to the point. If I have something that works for me then I share it with my readers, if I have something that sucks after using it, I tell my readers.  I try to bring a funny “I think so” honest view with my blogging. The way I write is the way I talk.. if you meet me in person and tlak to me for 2 min you will see I’m the same as on Money Dummy.

What did you do before you started blogging? what was your J.O.B?

I did a lot of different jobs before my transplant, have always worked hard, but after my transplant I had to rethink how I worked and what I was able to do.  So after being on disability for a year, I finally got a job driving a wheel chair van for handicap kids, I did that for 2 yrs, that was awesome, good to see that no matter how bad you think you have it, it could be much worse, you know?

After that I got my Class B license and started driving the big yellow bus for HS and elementary kids.. that was a little different..lol I made great money doing that, but it was still a J.O.B.

How do people react when you tell them you make money blogging? I normally tell people that I am blogging and they don’t believe that you can make it a career…what would you tell them?

Man I didn’t think it would be so complicated to explain I blog and make money online untill I tried explaining it to my family at Thanksgiven one year..lol  Let’s just say that think I’m nuts..lol

Problem I have a lot is because of the bad rap MLM got years ago, now when you tell people you make money online, they assume your doing MLM and don’t believe you can make money.  I usually just smile it off, we all know better so I’m happy with that haha

How did you really learn to blog? Like did you read any blogs or buy any products?

I wouldn’t recommend learning to blog like I did haha I’m a little analytical about things sometimes, so when it came to blogging, I just read any big blog I found, problogger, johnchow, chrisbrogan.  I also joined about 20 free blog course newsletters and I just read man, I read everything, from wordpress, to plugins, to SEO to affiliate blogging.

I did that “research” for about 5 mnths before I finally setup Money Dummy Blog.

Today I would say people need to do the opposite, find what you want to talk about “niche”, setup the blog, then learn and do it at same time.. on the job training.

How long did it take you before you actually started making $1 online?

It took me about 60 days for my blog to make it’s first $1 per day.. some one was paying me to advertise per month.

Which was pretty cool at the time.

But making money with your blog shouldn’t be your main focus in your first couple months, focus on your content, keywords, SEO, building that list and social media.

Understanding that blogging wont make you money on it’s own unless

A. your traffic gets high enough that people will pay you to advertise on your blog

B. you develop a product to sell or sell affilaite products.

I do both and have my Twitter Dummy Guide I wrote and working on a blogging course now.

Most people that you talk to online have had a rough beginning, what would you say was the toughest part when you where just getting started?

I think newbies have less need to struggle now, there is so much great resources and bloggers to help to minamize the “struggles”

For me I started with a small budget so I had to find mostly free or very cheap effective ways to market my blog. Working thru all the crap out there to find a few golden resources for cheap money was the biggest struggle.

That’s where I got into social media hard core..lol  One time I had 20 Myspace pages running at once, and they did good for a while, then Myspace became “home biz spam central” and I walked away from that.

Now I focus on Twitter and Facebook.. even though I am everywhere.. J

If all the blogs online where deleted, besides yours, which one would you want to stay up?

Man that’s a depressing question lol

I like a  lot great blogs now.  Hard to pick one so I’ll pick one for each category I like…

Branding – personalbrandingblog.com

Cummunity – chrisbrogan.com

Blogging – problogger.net

For people just getting started on their first blog, what’s the best advice you can pass on to them?

1. You will NOT make money by JUST blogging

2. It will take time to make REAL money with your blog

3. You need to work it hard every day

4. Just do it, and stop worrying

Would you ever trade the lifestyle that you have right now for a high paying 9 to 5? why?

That is a big NO!!  For me, my health is #1 no amount of money is worth it if your health is bad!

Beside that, a high paying job is still a job and still more structured then I like. I’m not good at taking orders either.lol

I work harder now then I ever did at any job I had, and I’m pretty sure any top blogger can agree with that. But atleast I work for me and I work when I want.

You said you been making money for 6 years before you started your blog, how did you make money online? What has changed?

What I did to make money then and now is pretty much the same, besides no more ebay and I blog now.  I just do it all in a better more efficient way with everything I have learned form some great people the past few years.

Also once you make a little money you can invest in software and outsourcign that will help you be more efficient with your time and make more money.

Without the support I wouldn’t be here or have a blog I am happy with.  That’s why I say you have to reach back and offer support to up and coming bloggers like you.

Like I said in our emails when you asked for my interview.. I was more then happy to help a blogger that is working hard, and seeing your blog and the results your getting man.. I know your working it!

Would you say their is a way for a new blogger to shorten their learning curve?

I don’t want to say yes and I don’t want to say no..lol

Bottom line is blogging is hard work, writing a new post is ONLY your First Step, then you need Promoting, Community Building, SEO, Monetization etc..

But I will say that there are some great helpful bloggers out there like myself, that are willing to help as much as they can, you just have to ask in most cases.

Thanks John I appreciate you for investing time into these questions, I wish you the best brother.

Wilson, Thank You for asking J You’re my first email interview man.. I enjoyed it, and I hope this helps your readers.

About John Paul Aguiar: John is a Blogger and Internet Entrepreneur and the owner and publisher of Money Dummy Blog. He has been in the Internet Marketing world for over 6 years and Blogging for the past 2 years. John Paul’s blog covers all areas of how to Make Money Blogging and how to Make Money Online. From Blogging, SEO to Traffic Tips, Twitter Marketing and Social Media in a keep it simple, no BS way that anyone can follow. Follow Him On Twitter @JohnAguiar

So last week I put out a survey to find out what people wanted me to  talk about. The most popular response was entrepreneurship. So this is for everyone that chose.

How entrepreneurship is the career of choice of those between the ages of 8-21 today

Recently, I stumbled upon the Harris Survey of Youth Entrepreneurship. The Kauffman foundation is one of the biggest entrepreneurship foundations.

I found some interesting facts about our young entrepreneurs of the future and how it’s a trend that’s taking the world by storm.

Remember those days when you used to have a lemonade stand or sold those expensive trading cards with your friends? I know I do. Somewhere at some time in my life, that entrepreneurship fire stopped flaming; but now its back and it seems like more and more young people are aspiring to create a career being their own bosses and changing the world.

Like some people say, the numbers don’t lie, so here’s what I’ve found thanks to the Kauffman Foundation of Entrepreneurship:

• Four out of 10 young people would like to start their own business someday. (40%)
• One fourth (27%) would like to start a big company.
• And the rest said that they were unsure, but maybe they would.

So you see how the world is changing? More than 70% of our future leaders want to be their own boss and they want to create companies.

Not just make money, but create something. The days of finding a job and working a normal 9 to 5 are over.

You want proof? My friend Rob Rammuny is 16 and is already making a full-time income with his own business. Michael Dunlop is growing his business massively, and I been watching his growth this year from the sidelines.

“More than half (55 percent) of today’s young people
feel that individuals help a lot to make their community
a better place, with 32 percent attributing their community
betterment to small businesses. Twenty-two percent think big
business helps a lot to make the community better and 19 percent think
that the government does.”

The whole point with this article is to encourage the young people that are just graduating high school and college to follow their passions and create something remarkable in our world. If you don’t know, 9 out of 10 people hate going to work 9 to 5, and I think we can change this culture.

By becoming a succesful young entrepreneur you have the chance to really make a ding on the world and really make a difference, rather than punch a clock and get paid to do what you hate doing. The time is here! Most people are afraid, because we’ve been so accustomed to following orders, and we are creatures of habit so it is not going to be easy.

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If you could start any kind of business what would you start? What is your passion? Why can’t you get started? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below.