Hobby Hacking: Build a Business Around Something You Love

I still remember the exact moment I got the email, 48 hours before my wedding a couple of years ago.

“Sean, we’d love to offer you a complimentary three night stay. Any additional nights we’ll give you 30% off our cheapest room rate.”

It was a moment of pure elation. A dream I’d always had that I wasn’t sure would ever come true - was now about to come to fruition.

And the reason for it came from an unlikely source: my golf niche site.

What exactly was that dream? And why would I be telling you about it here? I’ll get to that in just a second.

First, I want to delve into a problem so many of us have.

Do me a quick favor; I want you to think of the one thing you’d love to do more of.

What one hobby or passion do you daydream about when you’re sitting at your desk?

What do you waste time researching online? Which Instagram photos are you constantly flipping through and lusting after?

It could be anything. Hiking, travel, arts or crafts, sports, cars - you name it. I bet there is at least one thing you’d love to spend more time doing.

The problem is, most of us can’t do those things as much as we’d like. We have day jobs that we aren’t stoked on, that don’t pay us enough, and don’t give the respect that we deserve.

The problem with most day jobs is that there isn’t an end in sight. We can easily spend 5, 10, even 20 years at the same job living a comfortably mediocre life - and not doing more of those things that we always wish we could.

Well, what if I told you there is a way to do more of that one thing you love so much?

A way that not only would allow you to spend more time on that hobby, but turn it into a brand and a business that will help you enjoy the hobby more. And also turn it into a business that has the potential to be the out from your “traditional life” that you’ve been looking for?

Well, here’s the good news: there is.

Simply put, by starting a niche site, or as I like to call it a “hobby hacking” site, you can create an asset that we’ll serve you for many years to come.

Let me show you what I mean.

For many people, the term “niche site” has negative connotations. Think a small spammy site built around a niche you could care less about that makes many through plastering AdeSnse ads on every page.

That is not at all what we’re talking about here.

A “Hobby Hacking” site (the term we’ll be using from here on out) is a small site built around a specific niche that provides incredibly valuable content, allows you to connect with other like minded individuals, and the success of which is based on mutually beneficial value.

Did you get all that?

Here me out.

How many times have you been looking for something online, only to find that you couldn’t find resources that were quite specific enough for what you wanted?

Maybe you’re into vintage camera lenses, but all you see from Nikon and Canon are the brand new ones.

Maybe you want to learn about the best ways to travel through SE Asia with a small child, but the only resources you see are for solo backpackers or retirees.

Maybe you want new vegan, gluten free cookie recipes, but all you can find are ones laden with butter and eggs.

Here’s the deal. Most brands and businesses can’t afford to niche down. Often, there aren’t enough people interested in a subset of that niche to make it worthwhile.

And oftentimes, bloggers are only focused on the most common things because those are what will drive the most traffic.

By creating a hobby hacking site that caters to those small, underserved niches, you’re able to boost your enjoyment of that hobby, become famous in your industry, and create a side income that has the potential to turn into a full time gig!

Now that you have an idea of the type of site I’m talking about here, I want to give you more insight into why you’d be crazy not to have one.

This is where I’m going to break the mold and show you what makes a Hobby Hacking site so special.

A few years ago I started my hobby hacking site called Breaking Eighty. It’s a golf site, but rather than write about all things golf I focused on two things:

Photos and reviews of exotic and highly ranked golf courses Reviews of boutique golf products and gadgets from an average golfer’s perspective.

When I first started it the goal was simple: create the golf site I’d want to read, and maybe get some free golf in the process.

Now a few years later, I can’t believe what it’s turned into.

Here are just a few benefits I’ve received from having the site:

I’ve gotten access to private courses I would never have dreamed of playing. (I’d never played a private course before starting the site).
I’ve received tens of thousands of dollars worth of free products for review and comped greens fees.
I’ve made nearly $100k in consulting fees from people in the golf industry who found me via the site.
I’ve become well known in my industry and on countless occasions have been recognized when teeing it up with strangers.
I’ve made thousands of dollars in affiliate income from my product reviews.
I’ve met hundreds of incredible, like-minded people I never would have met otherwise.
I’ve built a recurring income membership site through the community I started.
I’ve created a sellable asset that has the potential to provide these benefits for years to come.

And this just scratches the surface of how this tiny little site has completely altered how I experience my hobby of golf.

And the best part is, this can work in literally any niche or industry.

So here’s what happened.

One of the very first things I ever added to my bucket list was to stay in an overwater villa at a super exotic resort.

The problem?

For the nice ones (and even the not so nice ones), they’re crazy expensive. Think 4 figures….per night.

Well for our honeymoon I wanted to do something special. But no matter which credit card points I used or which resorts I looked at - all of these places were still way over budget.

On a whim one day, I Googled “golf in the Maldives,” and it turns out there is exactly one golf course in the entire country.

And it just so happens to be at one of the very best, most luxurious resorts on the planet.

So with absolutely no expectations, I emailed their marketing team to see if they had any interest in having me come out to take photos and video of the course and write about my experience.

And that’s when two days before my wedding, they replied to let me know they’d love to have us out at a special media rate to take photos of the course.

In the end, the experience exceeded every expectation I had for it - and more importantly, they were thrilled with the writeup and exposure they received.

They get exposure to a new market, my audience gets to see photos and hear about a place they probably never would have heard of otherwise, and I get a memorable experience.

It’s the ultimate win/win/win.

And it never would have happened were it not for starting my Hobby Hacking site a few years earlier.

Ok, I know exactly what you’re thinking.

Exotic vacations in the Maldives seems like a huge stretch from where you are right this second in a day job you may not be totally stoked about.

That’s what I thought a few years ago too.

But let’s not think about all of that just yet.

Right now, the most important point I want to make is that you can apply this to any hobby, any industry, or any niche.

Here’s just a short list of some of the industries you can apply the Hobby Hacking concepts to:

Sure, not all of these will make you a million bucks or get you exotic trips.

But think about the benefits they can provide:

Making a name for yourself in your industry
Income through sponsorships, affiliate links, or products of your own
Access and opportunities that most people will never have
The ability to potentially write off hobby related expenses on your taxes
A business reason to spend more time doing the thing you love.
And this barely scratches the surface of the benefits of creating a hobby hacking site of your own.

I'll be totally real with you, I hate the “follow your passion” movement we’ve seen everywhere. I know how prevalent and cliche it is these days.

If you’re a millennial, you’ve been bombarded with this message, and that’s why I’ve waited for so long to really embrace this myself.

For the last five years of promoting Location Rebel Academy, I’ve embraced the “boring way” to build an online business.

It’s what will work the fastest, and it also helps you get experience with all of the skills you need to be successful online.

But here’s what changed and why I’m writing this today.

Creating a brand around my passion changed my life personally.

For all the reasons I’ve stated above, starting both my golf and photography sites was a total game changer both in terms of my income and my ability to enjoy the things I love doing in life.

So while the follow your passion mantra might be cliche, and there might be thousands of people selling false hope and false dreams, the reason I’m sticking my neck out is because it’s resonated with me so personally.

Since creating Location Rebel way back in 2009, there’s one thing that’s held true with everything I’ve done.

It’s the fact that I’m just an average dude who has figured some things out in life. They’ve worked for me, thousands of others, and there’s a good chance they might work for you too.

So that’s why I’ve created the Hobby Hacking course - because doing it for myself has truly changed my life, and I whole-heartedly believe that it is going to change yours as well.

But the goal with that is slightly different. That program is geared towards people who are looking to make money as quickly as possible.

It focuses a lot on building the necessary online skills and then freelancing to build up your income and confidence.

The reason it’s still around after so long? Put simply; it’s because it works.

However, over the last couple of years, I’ve realized I’ve been under-serving a huge subset of the population here at Location Rebel.

There’s a good chance you have no interest in freelancing, and you’re not cash strapped or need to make money right now.

Many people would rather build a long term business around something they absolutely love.

And that’s where Hobby Hacking comes in.

Hobby Hacking is an entire curriculum designed to hold your hand and walk you step by step through every single aspect of building a Hobby Hacking site.

It helps you not just build a business, but to create a brand that provides you with all of those tangible and intangible benefits that come from being an influencer in your niche.

Hobby Hacking has been designed to be accessible for any skill level and for people with zero technical background.

The main curriculum is made up of nine phases, with multiple bite sized steps within each.

I know how daunting some courses can be. You’re bombarded with information, and you’re left thinking: “ok, but what do I do next?”

We designed Hobby Hacking to make sure you never have that question. It’s as step by step as I could possibly make it, following the exact same path I’ve used for both my golf and photography hobby sites.

Haven’t done step 21? Great, do that.

Just finished? Then do step 22. Simple as that.

It’s designed to answer all of the questions you might have, while not being so dense that you get lost in research rather than taking action.

What do the nine general phases look like?

Glad you asked.

Phase #1: Research

So, you’ve got a general idea of the industry you want to start something in. But how do you niche down to find the right group of passionate people? How do you craft your idea into something that will both generate income and provide you with all of those extra benefits?

We go deep in this research phase to help you lay out every aspect of your new brand so that you have a complete roadmap for when you start creating it.

Some Resources Include:

Niche Selection Spreadsheet
The “Hook” Formula for Branding and Setting Yourself Apart
How to Find the Perfect Name for Your Business

Phase #2: Initial Setup and Building Blocks

No technical skills? No problem! Once we have your brand roadmap created we walk you through every single small step of getting every aspect of your website setup. Domains, hosting, Wordpress, themes, plugins - don’t worry if this doesn’t mean anything to you, because we help make it all easy.

Some Resources Include:

The Ultimate Guide for Creating an Effective About Page
11 Point About Page Checklist
Step by Step: How to Create Your Website
Services Guide: We help you figure out exactly what you need to keep costs as low as possible

Phase #4: Becoming an SEO Master

While social media may be the sexy thing to talk about at the moment, it’s Google that’s going to provide you with the most traffic over the long term.

In this phase, we put a plan in place for making sure every post is optimized, your site follows all the rules to make sure Google loves you, and that you know exactly how to find opportunities, implement your new strategy, and track the results.

Some Resources Include:

How to Optimize Your Site so Google Loves It
The Essentials of Keyword Research and how to find hidden opportunities for traffic
Our Editorial Calendar Template

Phase #5: How to Launch and Get Traction QUICKLY

At this point, your site will be live, but you don’t make a big deal of it on the very first day.

Instead, you make sure that you’ve got it looking as good as possible, have the right type of content posted, and then we launch the heck out of it to bring in tons of traffic, start growing your email list, and build the foundation from which to grow off of in the future.

Some Resources Include:

Site Audit Checklist
How to Create Your Killer Free Offer to Build Your Email List
The Do’s and Don’ts of Pushing Your New Site Live

Phase #6: Introduction to Monetization

It can get frustrating to put in hours and hours of work and not be able to see any monetary return.

In phase six we introduce you to all of the different ways you can begin monetizing the site, and then help you implement the best strategy for your specific site and niche. Making that first dollar is the absolute best thing you can do for your confidence and your long term effort on the site - so we strive to bring in a couple of big wins as early on in the process as possible.

Some Resources Include:

In depth Introduction to Affiliate Marketing
How to Find the Perfect Affiliate Programs for Your Niche

Phase #7: The Secret Keys to Relationship Building

This is hands down the most important part of Hobby Hacking. And while we delve into aspects of it in other phases, this is where we really turn on the gas. To put it simply, the more people you know and the more relationships you have with people in your industry, the easier growing your site becomes and the more opportunities will come your way.

In this section, we help you put a plan in place to build a network of amazing people that will help you grow your site faster than anything else.

Some Resources Include:

How to Find and Research the Key Players in Your Niche
How to Create Meaningful Relationships Out of Thin Air
How to Build Win/Win Relationships With PR Companies
Templates and Strategies for Reaching Out to Influencers and Actually Getting a Response

Phase #8: Advanced Marketing Strategies

Finally, in phase 8 we help you put the long term pieces together.

It's all about how you can take your site from being a nice side hustle and transform it into generating enough income to allow you to quit your day job and pursue this new business (and your hobby of choice) full time.

Some Resources Include:

Exactly How and What to Split Test to Double Opt Ins and Sales
How to Get the Most Out of Your Emails and Automations
How to Implement the “Niche Within a Niche” Method to Hyper Target a Ravenous Audience
Advanced Strategies for Building Backlinks to Your Site
How to Create Killer Content Upgrades for Highest Value Posts

One of the biggest mistakes I see new entrepreneurs make is they try and reinvent the wheel and do everything on their own.

Let’s face it, all too often the people around us don’t quite get our desire to do something a bit unconventional and build a brand online.

They don’t see how it can pay off or become profitable in the long run.

And the sad part is that in the early stages even one or two negative voices can be enough to make you question your plan and give up before it’s ever had a chance to thrive.

The most valuable part of Hobby Hacking is our online community.

Our forums have been around since 2011, and we have over 2,000 members just like you that have been building every type of lifestyle business imaginable.

We have members that have scaled their business to six figures who provide advice and mentorship, we have members just starting out who know exactly what you’re going through and can help with accountability, and we have everyone in between.

There’s no better way to be successful than by having a positive community of people to help you through the process.

People you can turn to with problems, questions, and who will share in the joy of every win you have - both small and big.

Up until this point, we’ve only made Hobby Hacking available to a handful of beta members who have been helping us to test, tweak, and make sure everything was ready for prime time.

Now that we’ve finished that and are launching publicly for the first time, I’m going to make it as much of a no brainer to join as possible.

To help with that, I’m offering 3 very limited time bonuses for people who sign up for the program.

Bonus #1: Rebel Launches - How to Create a 5 Figure Launch

This walks you through my end to end process on how to do a 5 figure product launch, all while building real relationships with the people on your list.

Every single time I’ve personally done this, it’s made at least $10,000 (actually the lowest ever was about $17,000, so I know it works!).

This is the perfect compliment to Hobby Hacking - as once the site is established and up and running, this process will be a game changer for boosting the business side of your new brand.

Bonus #2: How to Pitch Influencers

Over the last 10 years of blogging, I’ve received thousands of horrible pitches and emails.

There’s very much a right way and a wrong way to approach relationship building and outreach - and frankly, mastering this is critical to your success when starting a new hobby site.

If you join right now you’ll get our entire How to Pitch Influencers course that has tons of templates and strategies for building real relationships, and not coming across like a jerk in the process.

Bonus #3: Overcoming the Fear of Uncertainty

Finally, as we talked about in the community section above, it can be so easy to let fear and uncertainty get the best of you - especially if those closest to you don’t entirely “get it.”

In this bonus course, we’re going to help you identify exactly what your fears, concerns, and uncertainties are, and help you break them down. Thn we'll help you come up with responses and solutions to each one - so that you have zero excuses for not plowing forward with 100% effort and confidence.

We designed Hobby Hacking to be the most accessible course of its kind. It’s incredibly easy to follow regardless of whether you’ve never created a website before, or are an online veteran, you’ll be able to implement the formula and strategies we’ve presented.

When you join Hobby Hacking today, you’ll get:

Our entire 9 module program walking you through every step of the program from start to finish
Templates, Checklists, and Action Items specifically designed to make taking action easy regardless of how busy your schedule may be
Lifetime access to our members only forum with over 2,000 other people building lifestyle businesses just like you
Lifetime access to Rebel Launches course and all updates
The Full How to Pitch Influencers Course with ALL of our Email Templates
Overcoming the Fear of Uncertainty - Bust through your concerns and fears that have been holding you back and making you question your belief in yourself and whether this is really possible
LIFETIME access to all Hobby Hacking course updates

All of this for just $497

On the surface, $497 seems like a lot of money, and in many ways, it is.

But there’s a reason our course is priced where it is.

First off, it’s what keeps the quality of our community so high. Everyone who is in our forums has made that investment in themselves.

These are people who have said I’m going to do this the right way, take it seriously, and not just “dabble.”

Because of that, not only do we end up with incredible success stories, but we have a community full of active people who are willing to help.

Fantastic question, and glad you asked!

Location Rebel Academy has been our flagship course since 2011; we have over 2,000 members and some of the most amazing success stories I could ask for.

Location Rebel Academy and Hobby Hacking are both designed to teach you how to build a lifestyle business, but for two different types of people with two different goals.

The goal of Location Rebel Academy is to help you start building income as quickly as possible. It helps you create a “bridge” business, primarily through freelancing, to help you build confidence and income by any (legal) means necessary.

Hobby Hacking, on the other hand, takes a long term approach and focuses more on your passions and interests.

The goal of Hobby Hacking is to help you build a brand around something you love, monetize that brand, but also allow you to reap the benefits of growing your name within that industry during the process.

Here’s the quick version:

Location Rebel Academy is Best for You If:

You need to make money as quickly as possible
You’re in a situation you’re unhappy with and want to get out as quickly as possible
You don’t mind doing work that isn’t super sexy or exciting
You’re interested in freelancing of some sort
You’re looking to build an arsenal of online skills

Hobby Hacking is Best for You If:

You’re ok not worrying about monetization right away
You have a hobby or passion you’d love to turn into a business
You want to become a prominent voice in your industry and make meaningful connections in that world

Both Hobby Hacking and Location Rebel Academy offer access to our Members Forum.

How long does it usually take for people to start making money?

It's impossible to answer this question because there are so many variables. A good goal is to have made your first dollar within 3 months; then we'll help you grow it from there. But this course is less about making money right from the start and more about growing your brand, reputation, and helping you create a platform that will allow you to enjoy your hobby even more.

Can this really work with any niche?

Yes! Obviously, some niches are easier to monetize than others. But with what we teach you in the course, we'll show you how to build a brand and a business around any niche, that over time will allow you to leave your job, create a full time income, and spend more time doing the stuff you love.

I have zero technical experience, can I still go through this course?

Absolutely! We designed this course to be accessible for anyone, regardless of technical experience. We walk you through how to do everything.

Why do you only have one forum for both Location Rebel Academy and Hobby Hacking?

The most powerful part of Location Rebel Academy is our community. The support you're able to get, and the contacts you'll make are invaluable. Everyone in LRA is creating a lifestyle business of some sort. We realized it didn't make any sense to try and build up a brand new forum from scratch when people are really trying to accomplish the same thing: building a successful lifestyle business.

By having one central community, both Location Rebel Academy and Hobby Hacking members benefit from more knowledge, more activity, and more opportunities.

For so many people the idea of starting a business around something they love is the ultimate dream.

But for so many reasons, it can feel daunting, feel impossible, or feel like there's "no way I can do this."

Trust me when I say: you can do this, it's not as impossible as it feels, and you have so much to gain from getting started.

Imagine a business that allows you to:

Travel the world...
Spend more time with your family...
Work from home on your schedule...
Feel like your work is something you get to do, rather than have to do...
Be a part of an exclusive club within your niche, where suddenly everything (and everyone) is accessible...

This is what starting a niche site or a hobby site will allow you to do. It can help you make more money than you are now, give you more freedom, and most importantly bring the happiness to your day to day life that you haven't experienced in a long time.

That's what it's done for me, and dozens of people I know and have worked with.

Now I want to help it be true for you.

Sports, Hiking/Outdoors, Cooking, Photography, Charitable Work, Personal Development, Health/Fitness, Relationships, Books, Video Games...these are just a few of hundreds of potential niches that this works in.

If you've been waiting for the right time or opportunity, this is it.

Even if life feels daunting, or like you don't have time, we're here to help support you at your pace, to make sure you make progress, build confidence in what you're working on, and get to that dream life and business as quickly as possible.

Let's do this together!

Finally, to recap one last time. When you join us inside Hobby Hacking today, here is everything you're going to get:

Our entire 9 module program walking you through every step of the program from start to finish
Templates, Checklists, and Action Items specifically designed to make taking action easy regardless of how busy your schedule may be
Lifetime access to our members only forum with over 2,000 other people building lifestyle businesses just like you
BONUS #1: Lifetime access to Rebel Launches course and all updates
BONUS #2: The Full How to Pitch Influencers Course with ALL of our Email Templates
BONUS #3: Overcoming the Fear of Uncertainty - Bust through your concerns and fears that have been holding you back and making you question your belief in yourself and whether this is really possible
30 Day No Questions Asked Guarantee
LIFETIME access to all Hobby Hacking course updates
Priority access to our team to help you quickly get the answers you need.

There's a very good chance these bonuses will be taken down tomorrow, so join us inside, and we'll be waiting to help you grow the brand and business you've always wanted.

Build a Real, Sustainable Business Around ANY Hobby in the Next 3 Months

I Never Expected This...

What One Thing Do You Wish You Could Do More of?

A Niche Site Isn’t What You Think it Is

How an Affiliate Niche Site Changed My Life

Remember that story I started with up above? The one about my dream coming true?

ANY Hobby Can Be Turned Into A Brand

Something You Should Know About Me…

So, What is Location Rebel Academy?

A Community Unlike Any Other

Limited Time Launch Bonuses

What’s Included With Hobby Hacking?

A Note About Pricing

What’s The Difference Between Location Rebel Academy and Hobby Hacking?

Frequently Asked Questions

No Questions Asked 30 Day Guarantee

Why This, Why Now?

One More Time, Here's Everything You Get