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:

• $200, a Crappy Cafe, and the Email List That Set Me Free

• The Questioning Mindset

• How To Get 20 Cent Google Adwords Clicks For Your Amazon or Shopify Store With Travis Zigler

• The Playbook for Winning at Life

FROM MY WORLD

$200, a Crappy Cafe, and the Email List That Set Me Free

When I first got into list building, I’d already tried everything—SEO, blogging, Facebook ads, Twitter... even MySpace! Nothing worked.

And that’s when I found email marketing.

I was scared to lose money on paid traffic because, at the time, I was scraping by on a minimum-wage job at a hotel, while (my then girlfriend, now wife) Anastasiya was waiting tables in a cheap café. 

One customer used to “tip” her with candy. That’s how tight things were.

So, the idea of spending money on traffic felt like playing Russian roulette with my rent money.

But after wasting months on free traffic strategies that got me 9 subscribers in 90 days, I knew I had to go all-in. I invested $200 into a pop-up ad campaign, which brought in 156 subscribers.

But zero sales.

I was devastated. $200 down the drain. That was two weeks’ worth of tips, candies, and coffee rations right there.

I quit paid traffic cold turkey for three months and went back to free traffic methods. In those 90 days, I managed to scrape together a grand total of... 9 subscribers.

Yeah, you read that right—9 subscribers in 3 months. 

I was even more devastated.

So, back to paid traffic I went, determined to figure out where I went wrong. Then realized the problem wasn’t the traffic. It was my follow-up.

Once I nailed that, my list started responding.

My turning point came when I joined an affiliate contest against the top dogs—guys like And Perry Belcher and Mike Filsaime.

here I was... Igor, with my tiny, 1,700-person list.

I had no chance, right?

Wrong.

One day, I decided to write a casual email to my list, complaining about my back pain. It read more like a diary entry than a pitch. Only at the very end, I casually mentioned Dan’s new program and invited them to check it out.

I hit “send,” turned off my PC, and went to watch a football game. At halftime, I checked my ClickBank account.

5 sales.

That was 4 more than I’d ever made from a single email before!

I stayed up refreshing my ClickBank account until 2 a.m. like a kid opening gifts on Christmas morning.

By the time I called it a night, I’d made 7 more sales. The next day, I mailed my list again. And again the day after that.

After 4 days, I’d made 12 sales—and landed #19 on the leaderboard, beating out some of the big names I looked up to.

Sure, #19 might not sound like much, but for me, that was everything. It proved my 1,700-subscriber list could run with the industry’s biggest sharks.

But the real kicker?

It meant my list was starting to chip in on its own growth. The commissions I earned went straight back into buying more traffic to build my list bigger and faster.

Eventually, my email list started paying for itself... and paying me too!

That was the moment I realized the power of email marketing.

Since then, I haven’t gone a single day without emailing my list. I’ve experimented, optimized, and built a whole arsenal of tactics to engage subscribers on a whole new level.

And it’s paid off—literally. I’ve won affiliate contests, snagged trophies, and brought in six figures month after month, all because of my email list.

Your email list isn’t just a collection of names. It’s your on-demand, cash-generating machine.

You send an email, and—if you know what you’re doing—those subscribers turn into raving fans, and raving fans turn into buyers.

Look, I could keep telling you how great having an email list is, or...

I could build you one.

What if I told you I could help you create your very own list from scratch—even if you’re beyond all hope when it comes to this “tech stuff”?

Would you let me help?

MY GIFT FOR YOU

I Want To Ship You a Copy of My Book

As our way of saying thanks for subscribing to the newsletter, we’d like to ship you a free copy of the Amazon best-seller List Building Lifestyle: Confessions of an Email Millionaire. This book shows how to build a scalable passive income online even if you’ve got no previous experience.

Claim your no cost copy by texting the word BOOK to +1 833-259-7282

You can also just click the button below if you’re reading this on your mobile device.

This book costs $20 on Amazon, but if you text the word BOOK to +1 833-259-7282, you’ll receive a special link allowing you to get a free copy of the book plus $3,251.88 in bonuses (just chip in on S&H).

MINDSET MAKEOVER

The Questioning Mindset

Starting out, I was a big believer in affirmations. 

I’d scribble down the same phrase night after night: “I make $33.33 a day online quickly and easily.” 

I filled up entire notebooks with these words, convinced that repeating them enough times would make them come true.

But here’s the problem—affirmations, by themselves, don’t move the needle.

I realized that just saying “I’m going to make money” wasn’t going to convince my brain, because deep down, I didn’t believe it. 

The affirmations felt hollow—like throwing peas at a wall, hoping something would stick.

What’s more effective? Questions.

Our brains can’t ignore questions—they have to answer them. Instead of saying, “I make six figures a year,” try asking, “Why can’t I afford not to make six figures a year?” Or, “What are 10 reasons I’ll succeed at this?”

Questions force your mind to search for evidence that supports the answer. 

It creates a sense of urgency and excitement, which is what led me to take real action. 

I used this strategy when I was dragging my feet about moving to Canada. I sat down and listed 10 reasons why I needed to do it. That simple exercise broke the mental barrier, and I started the paperwork I’d been putting off for months.

Bottom line: affirmations sound nice, but they won’t push you forward. If you want to shift your mindset and start doing instead of dreaming, swap your affirmations for powerful questions that demand real answers.

FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

How To Get 20 Cent Google Adwords Clicks For Your Amazon or Shopify Store With Travis Zigler

You can earn annual sales of millions of dollars for as little as 20 cents per click with Google PPC. How? 

You’re in luck because Travis Zigler is joining Igor to teach you the strategy which made him half a million dollars by selling eye care products. Let's dive in. 

CURATED READS

The Playbook for Winning at Life

Ray Dalio’s “Principles" isn't just a book—it’s a blueprint for making better decisions in business and life. Dalio, a billionaire investor, lays out the rules he used to build his empire, with a focus on facing harsh realities, embracing transparency, and learning from failures.

It’s packed with practical advice and actionable strategies, making it a must-read for anyone serious about growth and long-term success.

Pro Tip: Don’t just read it. Study it. This one’s a playbook you’ll want to revisit again and again.

RIDDLE ME THIS

Can You Crack The Code?

I have no voice, but I speak to machines. 

I have no body, but I guide their actions. 

I have no life, but I solve complex problems.

What am I?

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