To ask you to share how you did it

[Moneymanifestor]

Not a TAAT but inspired by one and a comment from another MNer. I'm a prolific name changer but I predate penis beaker.

I've seen a few threads lately about marrying rich, high earning husband's etc. and I thought it was time to ask the high earning women here to share how they did it. I'd would put a high earner at 70k and above.

I'm a business owner and my company makes multi 6 figures a year. I sell digital courses and consultancy. I have 1 virtual assistant and my business model is very lean. My salary to myself is 250k.

I left school at 17 with no qualifications. I didn't go to university. I worked in admin for 10 years before deciding I'd had enough of earning 25k. I did a course for 1 year part time despite struggling to afford the tuition. I bought a domain for £25 a year and set up my website. I wrote my first course based on what I had learned and started to sell it. The first year I made 50k and it's grown each year. My business is 3 years old!!

My username is a positivity anchor for me. I had to do a huge shift in mindset and it's one of the ways I remind myself that business isn't a zero sum game. I want to hear from other high earners that didn't start from a position of privilege because I want other women to see that with today's technology anyone can start a business for less than 100 quid.

Dh took lots of risks when he was younger and now earns 6 figures and barely needs to work to earn his income. He worked really hard in his 20s and early 30s (day job 6 days a week whilst building up his business) and took risks that most people thought were barmy. A lot of it was luck too.

@LegoPeopleEverywhere yes it was just an example.

I did a higher diploma in my chosen field so it was in a field that has nothing to do with business and most of the graduates in my class went in a totally different direction than I did. I'm the only one who created courses out of my education.

Name changed for this. Am a bestselling novelist. Wrote a book while at home for a year, and went from there. Have now written six.

@Moneymanifestor 👍 thanks for clarifying

@mrex, thanks!! :)
I've spent the past 18 months developing a framework, one that if I were to go into a company, I would ensure I look at all the right places, even the ones you mention! I recently pitched to a senior exec (you wouldn't believe me if I told you who!!!) and while they loved it they were in complete denial about the state of affairs in their dept! But I'll keep plugging away! Step 1 for an exec: admit things are not what they seem for any exec, step 2: seek help from bubblesforlife, step 3: exec sleep easy at night and start hitting targets!!

I think it very much depends on what type of course you offer as well. I have put many online courses out there with not as much luck.

I am also finding that in my older age, my brain won't learn new things - like using platforms, SEO etc.

I have followed lots of online businesses and courses etc and they do seem to follow a formula. It is not in my nature to follow these and they always seem a little insincere and dishonest to me. (Ofc very very specific to certain topics and not suggesting the OP covers these)

I think you also have to be brave and to put yourself out there on the web. My line of business is very image-based and I am older and my looks don't match so I hide :)

While not high earning (yet) I'm relatively young and I believe my earning will double in the next 5 years or so. Currently on 42k at 26.

Did a degree in Law but decided half way through I didn't want to go into it directly (long hours--no thank you). Ended up following my interests from my studies which were property and tax.

Did property first, as an asset manager for a property repossessions. Great colleagues and stories, but no real progression unless someone above you leaves. Paid approximately 23k inc bonuses.

Moved into a trainee tax role and took a slight pay cut to 20k. They sponsored me through my professional qualifications and I ended up leaving them for new pastures just before my last exam. Left at 27k.

Started new job at 35.5k, passed final exam and was promoted and pay increased to 42k. I expect it will be two years or so between my next promotions, so aiming for 70-80k by 31/32.

@namechanged984630 how did you find yourself writing a book when off for a year? Had you always wanted to or was it something you just decided to do when off? How did you get it published, do you have contacts in the industry or did you send it off to publishers? How do your earnings work - a lump sum and then payment per book sold or what?

@spritesandunicorns maybe your DH could come on and tell us a bit more, like what industry, whether he has qualifications, how he got started etc?

@tentative3 I had always wanted to be a writer and had dabbled in fiction for years but never written more than a few chapters. I decided one day to try it properly. I knew nobody and sent it off to agents, got signed, and my agent then sold it to a publisher. Income is very complex now. I get advances from all of my publishers (US, US and many foreign publishers too). If I earn out that advance I get royalties too.

@namechanged984630 that's fantastic, you must have been over the moon when the agent took you on! Do you find it easy to keep writing now?

@namechanged984630 writers fascinate me.
When you wrote your first book, did you write it in secret? I would love to write but feel I would have to do so in secret as it's not something I'd share with my family. (The writing, not the content. I'm not going all 50 shades or anything).

I was going to post on the high earning husband thread about where my husband met me :) Name changed like everyone else.

I earn more than 100k and less than 150k but in a tax free jurisdiction so that's a shit load of take home (and I'm really only just starting out). High cost of living here - but I do often sit back and go 'hell how can anyone think I am worth that much'. I am very conscious of how lucky I am and that I could lose my health tomorrow so this may be the last year.

I'm in a fairly standard professional services job now but I changed from a 'do whatever comes along' career to a 'proper' career in my 30s and my pay has skyrocketed since. My salary has tripled in the last four years.

It has been a bloody hard slog which has nearly broken me several times but I just wanted to come on and say it is possible. There's a massive element of luck of course (I'm very academically bright [blows own trumpet anonymously] which meant that the studying required to retrain took less work for me than others I studied with) but it also takes work and I basically had very little family life for over two years.

I enjoy my job 90% of the time which was my motivation more than the money but money certainly makes life easier.

@tentative3 yes, it's now my full time job!
@thiscannotbenormal no, i wanted the accountability of telling my partner

@bubblesforlife - it'll be one of the following, you know him and what happened so you'll need to judge:

1. your sales pitch wasn't good enough / he doesn't think you can do it;
2. he has a lot of other projects underway and doesn't want to muddy the waters with another that's potentially very disruptive;
3. he knows there's budget cuts coming so he's waiting for that to address flabby areas;
4. he's looking for new roles anyway, so he's just being nice but he's treading water in the role;
5. he's not very bright. Find exec director #2, take your framework and pitch pitch pitch!

*@ can I ask, broadly, what subjects your course are?

Are they lifestyle - knitting, exercise, care of tortoises type courses or more business based - start your own website, train to be a life coach, etc.

Or something else entirely!

I am looking into this, and would be interested to know what type of courses people will actually pay for.

That was to @Moneymanifestor

(I probably need a proofreading course!)

I'm a solicitor, in the regions not in London, earning over £70k purely because I've been at it for so long! I have stupidly stayed in the same firm my whole career though - if I'd moved around I'd probably be on more. If I moved to London it would probably double.

It sounds good on paper but we also have a massive mortgage and nursery fees, I work full time (and have a 2 year old - and I'm pregnant!) and actually once all the outgoings are paid I don't see that much of it. I also work about 50 hours a week, so I dread to think what my hourly wage is - certainly significantly less than the £300+ an hour my firm charges clients for my time!!

I don't want to be too specific @Smellyrose but it's not about business at all. I always failed economics and business in school - HATED IT!

I suppose it falls under the lifestyle umbrella!

I'm trying to think of an example without being specific.

Say I bought a new house and had it surveyed etc but after 3 months we discovered the foundations are in a state, the walls are falling down and we need to rebuild practically from the ground up.

I get so angry that people get ripped off that I decide to go back to college and get a diploma in surveying (I know, it's just an example) so I can help people facing a similar dilemma.

Then I create a course that shows people in an easy step by step process how to make sure the house that they're buying is solid and what to look out for. I have condensed that college course into bit sized pieces and made it accessible for people who are buying a house. They don't need the whole course just the important bits and my own experience and lessons I learned.

I hope that makes sense

After 4 pages I finally have a clue about what the OP is going on about. The rest of you though? No idea apart from you work hard, but so do I, for a lot less!

@Moneymanifestor that’s really interesting - thank you.

Do you mind me asking if you took any courses to learn how to run courses yourself?

This is an ineresting thread. I've signed up for a couple of online courses in the past and was really impressed by the value for money. I know the course leader of the one I stuck with is absolutely rolling in it now as he has so many sign ups. He is wealthy because the product he offers really is brilliant and as you say, he had a unique angle on how he taught what he taught. But I also know a few people who have spent hours and hours prepping and launching online services and not getting very far. How do you know you will thrive? It's such a competitive area.

@Smellyrose I didn't actually. I had a look at some really great free resources online from the likes of Teachable and learned from there.