Welcome to another issue of the no-BS newsletter dedicated to demystifying the world of passive income, where we share practical, reliable strategies to build and sustain income streams that work for you.

If you want to help someone else make money while they sleep, forward this email to them.

In today's issue:

There’s a special kind of hell in online marketing.

It’s not spam complaints.
It’s not unsubscribes.
It’s not even Facebook suspending your account for breathing funny.

It’s banner ads.

I know what you're thinking: “But Igor, don’t you hate Facebook?”
Yes, yes, I do.
But let me tell you something even worse than Zuckerberg’s AI army sniffing around your funnels...

Impression-based traffic.

Banner ads are the original scam where you pay for your ad to be seen, not clicked. Seen. As in, maybe on the screen while someone scrolls past it to check their ex’s vacation photos.

You get 10,000 impressions.
Sounds impressive, right?

Until you realize only 100 of those people click.
And of those, maybe 3 give you their real email.
And maybe 1 actually buys something.
(If the moon’s aligned and Mercury isn’t in retrograde.)

That means you're shelling out cash to hope some guy named Chad clicks a pink arrow because you disguised your ad as a hyperlink. And the real kicker? You’re still paying the same whether Chad clicks or not.

I’ve tried making banner ads work more times than a desperate romantic keeps texting their ex after tequila shots.
Twelve times, to be exact.
Only once did I strike gold—and that was back in the golden days of the Warrior Forum, before Freelancer turned it into a dumpster fire.

It used to cost $100 for 24 hours. Pricey? Yup.
But it kept the riffraff out. I’d throw up a banner and snag $6K sales in a day.

Now?
It’s $60 for 10,000 impressions, and your ad’s wedged between crypto scams and someone selling their grandma’s old ClickFunnels templates.

And Google’s no better. They renamed banner ads “the Display Network,” probably so they could hide how ineffective it is behind fancy branding. I get clicks, sure—but they’re cold. The Arctic tundra is cold. These leads aren’t shopping. They’re sightseeing.

What makes this worse?
The obsession with CTR (click-through rate). You end up spending your life optimizing stupid stuff—adding red borders, smiley faces, flashing GIFs—like you’re designing a kindergarten newsletter. All while forgetting the real goal:

Making money.

CTR worship is a disease. It tricks you into thinking you’re progressing while your sales flatline and your ad budget evaporates.

And here’s the cherry on this sad sundae: if you do manage to make a killer banner ad, some lazy hack will rip it off within 48 hours and slap their own name on it.

So here’s what I recommend:
Ditch impression-based traffic.
Go with cost-per-click. Pay for action, not visibility.
Solo ads, AdWords (if you can stomach $15 clicks and their passive-aggressive policies), anything but the clickless abyss of banners.

Unless your goal is to burn money and sanity. In that case, banner ads are perfect.

Sick of pretending a Facebook group is a “community”?

Inside the List Building Lifestyle Club, you get plugged into a real circle of sharp, serious marketers, guided by someone who built a 7-figure email empire and still shows up weekly to help you do the same

It’s a mastermind without the flights, suits, or $30K buy-ins.

Just real strategy, real connection, and a step-by-step system to build a high-profit email business from your kitchen table.

If you want to go full-time online, this is where it actually happens..

Here’s a little mindset grenade: you’re not sending too many emails. You’re sending too few.

Most marketers treat their email list like a delicate Fabergé egg.
They’re afraid to touch it.
Afraid to bother it.
Afraid that if they hit “send” one too many times, they’ll get hate mail and death threats from subscribers.

Reality check: your audience wants to hear from you daily. Twice a day. Maybe even more. But only if you're doing it right.

Think about this: if someone signs up for a dog training newsletter, and you send them an email with cute dog pics or training tips every day, they love it. They eat it up like kibble. That’s their jam. Same with sneakerheads, skincare junkies, sports fanatics, or funnel-building freaks.

Passion = tolerance. The more passionate someone is about a topic, the more content they can absorb. You’re not spamming—you’re serving.

But here’s where it gets juicy: most people don’t email often because deep down… they’re lazy thinkers.
They treat their list like a big block of cheese.
No slicing. No dicing. Just one giant blob of emails that all get the same thing.

Want to win in email marketing?
Slice that cheese. Segment your list. Send more to the openers. Tag based on interest. Personalize like Amazon. Deliver like Domino’s.

You can’t afford to let your list rot. Email is the marketing backbone. Not TikTok. Not IG Reels. Not whatever shiny object shows up next.

Simple. Not easy. But absolutely non-negotiable if you want a real business.

So the next time you hesitate to hit send, just remember:
If you’re not emailing them… your competitor is.

What if you could turn spare bedrooms and empty homes into steady income without owning any property?

In this episode, James Svetec, Airbnb expert and co-author of Airbnb for Dummies, reveals how to turn short-term rentals into passive income powerhouses. From co-hosting strategies to optimizing listings, James shares actionable steps to help anyone build a profitable business managing Airbnbs. Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to refine your strategy, this conversation is packed with tips to boost revenue, reduce hassle, and navigate the Airbnb landscape like a pro.

Get ready to discover how to earn from Airbnb, even if you don’t own property, and create a business that works for you.  

Alright, let me warn you—this isn’t your average self-help fluff wrapped in recycled quotes and woo-woo motivation. Nope. This one’s from a guy who actually built a billion-dollar empire from scratch.

Ray Dalio is the founder of Bridgewater Associates (aka, one of the most successful hedge funds on the planet). And this book? It’s not about stocks, or markets, or how to become the next Wall Street wizard. It’s about thinking.

Dalio breaks down the raw truth about what it takes to succeed—whether you're building a business, managing a team, or just trying to not screw up your Tuesday. His “principles” are battle-tested, logical, and brutally honest.

You’ll learn how to:

I won’t lie—it’s a chunky read. But every page hits you with that “damn, I needed to hear that” energy. You’ll start looking at your business (and your life) through a sharper, more strategic lens.

Read this if you're serious about growing—not just your income, but your thinking.

I'm born from buzz, but not from bees,

I pass through crowds with graceful ease.

Marketers chase me, but I can't be caught,

My power lies in being taught.

What am I?

Think you've cracked the code? Reply to this email with your guess, and see if you're right!