
The Kind Business podcast
#183 Is passive income a myth?
In this episode, I dig into whether passive income is really a myth, drawing on my own experience running two businesses since 2015. I talk honestly about how the online course world in the 2010s oversold the idea of easy passive income, often without acknowledging the privilege and structural advantages that made it easier for some people, and I share a personal experience of being pressured into a course that didn't feel worth the investment. From there I unpack what passive income actually means, including affiliate income, pre-recorded courses, and book royalties, and I explain why I only ever turn practical, learnable skills into pre-recorded courses, while anything more transformative and long term stays as live group work with real community and accountability. I also get into what actually goes into building something that looks passive from the outside, from expertise and the right tech setup to the long, unglamorous work of building an audience before a course can even be worthwhile. I share some honest numbers around conversion rates and newsletter growth, and I talk about how affiliate income and royalties from my book Rituals have added up over time even though neither replaced my main income. My hope is that this episode leaves you feeling less pressured by the passive income hype and more grounded in figuring out what mix of income streams actually fits your business and your life. You can learn more about the Kind Business Community over here: https://pinkwellstudio.com/community/ Thanks for listening! Love, Yarrow

