The Goal Digger Podcast

Episode 910: How to Build Consistent Monthly Income in Your Business (Even If You’re Brand New)

Host: Jenna Kutcher
Date: September 3, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jenna Kutcher shares heartfelt advice and actionable strategies to help entrepreneurs—especially creative women—create consistent, reliable monthly income, even if they're just getting started. Drawing on her own experiences of leaving corporate America for entrepreneurship, she details seven proven income streams and offers mindset shifts for building a sustainable, life-first business. Jenna pulls back the curtain on both her past struggles and her current systems, emphasizing intentionality, experimentation, and iteration over burnout and hustle.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Deeper Desire for Reliability

• Jenna notes a major shift in her audience’s goals—from chasing massive launches to craving steady, predictable income:
  • "The deep desire is not the million dollar launches... the deep desire is just consistent, reliable income." (09:48)
• She ties the desire for steady income to feelings of safety, security, and true creative freedom.
• Jenna shares her story of leaving a salaried job and navigating the unpredictability of photography work, leading to a constant tension between scarcity and creativity.

Mindset Shifts: Redefining Success

• After hitting six figures as a wedding photographer, Jenna found herself burned out.
  • "Once I hit that place of six figures and emptiness, time became my currency." (15:22)
• The decision to intentionally cut her income for the sake of time led to her biggest business breakthrough.

The Seven Paths to Consistent Monthly Income

1. Evergreen Digital Products (24:20)

• What: Create low-ticket digital products (templates, presets, mini-courses) that solve a specific problem and can be sold repeatedly.
• How to Start: Repurpose tools you already use, identify gaps in your market, or fix disappointments with existing solutions.
• Quick System: Offer an aligned freebie, then pitch the paid product (ex: a photographer's pricing guide leads to a $27 pricing template).
  • "Sometimes the easiest win... could be a $27 template, right? That solves one small problem." (24:50)

2. Online Courses (31:15)

• What: Package your expertise in a scalable online course, breaking free from trading time for money.
• Why Jenna Loves It: Her favorite and most impactful income stream (over 50% of her business income), applicable to any niche.
  • "There's no industry I have found yet that online courses cannot work in." (33:42)
• Shoutout: Recommends Amy Porterfield's Course Confident Bootcamp (jenna kutcher.com/bootcamp)

3. Monthly Retainers or Subscriptions (41:38)

• What: Secure monthly clients, subscription services, or memberships for recurring revenue.
• Example: Contractors on Jenna’s team are paid monthly retainers, and her courses offer payment plans for recurring income.
  • "Having a handful of monthly clients or subscribers can help you move forward with confidence." (42:02)
• Tip: Consider pivoting from one-off work to a retainer/subscription model for greater predictability.

4. Affiliate Marketing Done Well (48:21)

• What: Earn commissions by authentically recommending products, services, or software you personally use and love.
• Jenna’s Take: Focus on a handful of products that align with your audience and share consistently, not just once.
  • "Affiliate marketing comes so naturally to me because I naturally just love to share what works for me." (51:11)
• Pro Tip: Look for affiliate programs with recurring payments (common in software).
• Memorable Story: Sharing HelloFresh links got Jenna a year’s worth of free groceries because her audience trusted her.

5. VIP Days / One Day Offers (01:01:48)

• What: Offer high-ticket, intensive one-day services (coaching, consulting, hands-on help) for impactful, efficient income.
• Benefits: Can cover key expenses with one booking; deepens insight into client needs for future scalable offers.
  • "If you can help one person, you can probably help many." (01:02:34)
• Jenna's Experience: VIP offers have inspired profitable ideas for courses and content.

6. Hybrid Model: Live + Evergreen (01:06:32)

• What: Blend the community energy of live experiences (bootcamps, coaching series, masterclasses) with evergreen sales by repackaging recordings into digital products.
• Recent Example: Jenna’s five-day Pinterest Bootcamp was repurposed into an evergreen product post-launch.
  • "You get to test everything live... then you can take all of those takeaways and package it up for a more evergreen offer." (01:07:30)

7. Rental Income (01:11:34)

• What: Leverage spare rooms, studio spaces, or properties (even tools/equipment) for rental income—even on a small scale.
• Jenna's Perspective: It’s not about massive real estate investments, but strategic use of available resources.
  • "[Rental income] has been a meaningful piece of our income puzzle... we looked for strategic, manageable opportunities." (01:12:03)
• Local Examples: Photographers renting studios or artists renting creative spaces to cover business overhead.

The Reality About Passive Income (01:15:32)

• Passive income is not truly passive. It requires intentional creation, ongoing improvement, and systemization.
  • "Passive income can be mainly passive, [but] I don’t think you can ever be hands off." (01:16:47)
• The key is to build systems that eventually need less of your time, but this front-loaded work is essential.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "For those first three years, money was my currency. But once I hit that place of six figures and emptiness, time became my currency." (15:22)
• "What is some sort of low-ticket template or offer that you could sell?" (24:34)
• "There is no industry that I have found yet that online courses cannot work in." (33:42)
• "Having a handful of monthly clients or subscribers can help you move forward with confidence." (42:02)
• "Affiliate marketing comes so naturally to me because I naturally just love to share what works for me." (51:11)
• "If you can help one person, you can probably help many." (01:02:34)
• "You get to test everything live... then you can take all of those takeaways and package it up for a more evergreen offer." (01:07:30)
• "Reliable income isn’t luck; it’s about being so intentional." (01:15:52)
• "I do not subscribe to hustle culture, but I do believe hustle is required oftentimes to get a dream off the ground." (01:17:02)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 09:48 – Survey insight: desire for reliability and safety
• 15:22 – Time vs. money: Jenna’s turning point
• 24:20 – Evergreen digital products explained and how to begin
• 31:15 – The power and scalability of online courses
• 41:38 – Monthly retainers and subscriptions for stability
• 48:21 – Affiliate marketing done with heart—and recurring income
• 01:01:48 – High-value VIP days and their ripple effect
• 01:06:32 – Hybrid income models: live + evergreen offers
• 01:11:34 – Rental income, even without property wealth
• 01:15:32 – Passive income: The real work behind the scenes

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

• Jenna encourages listeners to let go of the "trade-time-for-money" model, explore these seven reliable income streams, and remember that a systemized, intentional business is possible—without burnout.
• Her #1 recommendation for scalable, long-term reliability: building an online course.
  • "If I could only choose one, the one for me that changed everything … was creating an online course." (01:21:42)
• She warmly invites those interested in courses to join Amy Porterfield’s Course Confident Bootcamp (jenna kutcher.com/bootcamp).

Episode Tone

Jenna weaves warmth, encouragement, candid storytelling, and practical wisdom throughout the episode. She speaks directly to listeners’ struggles and hopes, blending strategy with emotional truth.

Resources Mentioned

• Amy Porterfield Course Confident Bootcamp
• The Pinterest Kickstart Mini Course (free with bootcamp signup, $27 value)
• Past Goal Digger Podcast episodes on affiliate marketing, memberships (e.g., Stu McLaren interview)
• Business tools, templates, affiliate programs mentioned—check episode description for links

If you’re looking for clarity and achievable action steps to build monthly business income, this episode is a comprehensive, relatable guide from someone who’s navigated every stage of the journey.