Lynn,

I’ve heard you talk a lot about niches and I believe you need to be in several niches to really earn a substantial income. (I’ve heard nearly every online marketer talk about ‘other’ niches and ‘pen names’, etc.

I guess my question is… how on earth do you stay up with (or become a market leader) in numerous niches?!? I have 3 and my head is spinning. I can’t imagine 10 or 100′s like Rosalind Gardner!

Advice?

Rob

Great question, Rob! True - trying to manage too many sites or blogs in multiple niches CAN make your head spin! It can be downright exhausting and discouraging, even.

I don't believe Rosalind Gardner is actually managing dozens or hundreds of niche affiliate sites. Of the small handful of sites I know about personally... she puts a lot into them.

I don't subscribe to the multiplier method myself, either. In fact, I rarely see it taught anymore at all - though it used to be quite popular to create as many sites as you could and put as little into them as possible - and just hope the math came out right.

100 sites x $10/day - or something like that.

There's a big difference between just "making money online" and actually "starting a successful online business" - I prefer the latter.

There's no way under the sun I could manage 100 sites or blogs. Or want to, I should say. Seriously - you'd have to be super human, or have one heck of an outsourcing team! And while that's an option (having a team, I mean - I don't know many online business owners that actually have secret powers, lol)... I prefer to have more of a personal hand in my own websites.

I also like to keep my business as low maintenance and low risk as possible. I don't enjoy managing a huge team, or having that high an overhead.

Again, just my personal preference.

A Quick Peek At My Portfolio Of Sites & Projects...

That said, obviously I do work in several different niches - including a personal project with a pen name, under which I'm authoring a book.

I have three main sites that most people are aware of: ClickNewz (which you're reading now) as well as my Personal Video Blog and my Low Carb Diet Blog.

The vlog is more of a personal creative outlet, though I do intend to monetize in a variety of ways once it becomes more established. The low carb blog is a prime example of the type of "niche affiliate marketing" that I do for a living.

I have a small handful of other affiliate sites, most of which are on the back burner at the moment while I've been working through my security issues and recovering from the hacking experience (blech! lol).

While those niche affiliate sites still get traffic and generate revenue, they all need to be reworked - which I've decided to put on hold until the New Year.

So at the moment I'm only actively working on four projects. The 4th being a new site I'm about to launch that will be more hands-off, and managed by my assistant.

How To Manage Multiple Niches - Successfully

So how do I do it all? It boils down to focus, time management and self-motivation.

Not to say that I'm perfect, and always get everything done, because I'm not and I don't. But there are some things you should know before you dive into multiple projects, or multiple sites in multiple niches...

First, Read: Take ONE Site From Start to Profit

This is the key. You start with ONE project and you build that business all the way to maximum profit potential. Yes, it's hard. Ask anyone in online business and they'll tell you how easy it is to get distracted by new ideas and end up with dozens of domains and projects. Which leaves you scattered, frustrated, and struggling to break even. Challenging as it is, you absolutely must stay on track.

Read: Staying On Track – From Start to Profit

Once you get your business up and running, and in "maintenance mode" - meaning it is successful and profitable, and you can manage that online business in less than 10 hours a week - THEN you can consider starting new projects.

You'll go through the same process again, though. One project or website at a time, all the way to max profit potential and maintenance mode. Being in profit will put you in a position to outsource time consuming tasks and hire a full time assistant to help you manage & maintain your sites.

If you try doing it the other way around, you'll end up broke and frustrated.

I like to work in "time blocks", setting aside a specific amount of time for each project or task as needed. Some things I work on once a week, some I do daily. And of course I outsource every task that I can to free myself up for the creative tasks in my business - those that require my voice or personality. Like writing this blog post.

If you find yourself stressed with multiple projects, choose one and put the rest on the back burner for a spell. Work on that one project exclusively until you have a successful online business up and running. Then work down through your list of ideas/projects one at a time in the same manner.

I feel no shame about putting a few of my own sites on the back burner this year. In the end, being an entrepreneur is all about lifestyle design. And if you're head is spinning, you're not happy! So slow things down, prioritize your business ideas, pick one, and dive in with your blinders on.

Next, See: What it Takes to Become a Super Affiliate

Best,