Build Once, Sell Forever (Kind Of): The Truth About Digital Products (And Why I Wrote the Book)
- Max
- Jul 21
- 2 min read
Eight years ago, I fell into the rabbit hole of “passive income.”You know the one—YouTube thumbnails screaming HOW I MADE $60K IN 2 HOURS WHILE ASLEEP! and coaches in rented Lamborghinis selling $997 courses on how to sell $997 courses.
What I actually wanted was something simple:A way to build a product once, sell it repeatedly, and not lose my sanity in the process.
Spoiler: It exists.
But it's a lot messier (and funnier) than the online hustle bros make it sound.
I Was Looking for Real Info. What I Found Was Bullsh*t.
I started like most people do—Googling.Then panicking.
I ended up buried in:
Threads full of vague “just start!” motivation
Reddit arguments about Etsy vs Gumroad vs selling PDFs via USB pigeons
3-hour YouTube videos that somehow never answered the actual question
Everyone promised six figures.No one explained how to price an ebook without spiraling into existential doubt.
So I Did the Only Logical Thing: Trial, Error, and Spreadsheet Meltdowns
I built templates. I wrote ebooks. I created things no one bought.Then I figured out how to make things people do buy.I tested platforms, broke automation tools, and accidentally sent a Mailchimp campaign to myself 47 times.
It wasn't fast. It wasn't pretty.But after a few years of refining the process, something surprising happened:
It started to work.Quietly. Consistently. Profitably.
No viral hacks. No “tribes.” No bullshit.
What I Use This Method For Now
I create digital products (ebooks, templates, journals) that solve problems people actually care about.
I sell them on platforms like Payhip and Gumroad with automations that don’t require babysitting.
I use Pinterest and blog content to drive traffic that sticks around instead of ghosting like a flaky Tinder date.
It’s not a Ferrari-fueled empire.It’s more of a “tick-over quietly while I do other things and occasionally buy nice cheese” situation.
And honestly? That’s exactly what I was aiming for.
Why I Wrote the Book
Build Once, Sell Forever (Kind Of) is the no-fluff, sarcasm-heavy guide I wish I’d had when I started.
It walks you through:
What a digital product actually is (and isn’t)
How to choose a niche without having a breakdown
Creating something that doesn’t suck
Setting up your storefront without wanting to punch the internet
Using tools that don’t gaslight you into monthly upgrades
How I use Pinterest, Reddit, Instagram, and AI without losing my soul
A few sneaky extra revenue streams that aren’t just “affiliate links and vibes”
It’s short. It’s honest. It’s weirdly funny.And most importantly: it won’t waste your time.
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