About Noelani
The Upside of Getting Downsized: How One Woman Made $1 Million With eBooks After Being Laid Off
In recent days, thousands of Americans are seeing their worst fear materialize as the dreaded pink slips start showing up in their inboxes at work. Layoffs are rampant. Hundreds of applicants are competing for every new job. The outlook for those who have lost their jobs seems bleak – until you talk to author and publisher Noelani Rodriguez of Portland, Oregon.
“Getting laid off was the best thing that ever happened to me” says Rodriguez, with a smile. In case you think she’s just spouting Pollyanna optimism, think again. Noelani Rodriguez can back up that smile with over $1 Million in sales from her internet-based eBook publishing business. And, she says, it would not have happened had she not been laid off from her corporate job back during the “dot com bust.”
Rodriguez, a Radcliffe graduate in Economics, says that until she lost her job, she never considered working for herself full time. “I was a Microsoft Certified Trainer and Network Engineer, flying around the world in a ‘monkey suit,’ working long hours. I knew quite a bit about e-commerce, because I had worked as a website consultant with several Fortune 500 companies. But I never saw myself creating a serious online business – until I lost my job and had to face reality.” She had made a little money as a hobby selling online study guides to the people she was training, but like many would-be internet entrepreneurs, the world of e-commerce seemed too chancy as a substitute for a steady paycheck.
Then without warning that paycheck disappeared, and she was left watching her savings account dwindle overnight. The fear of being an entrepreneur became overshadowed by her need to pay the bills and maintain a successful lifestyle. So Rodriguez took the plunge, and, almost magically, the creative ideas started flowing. “I remembered what an entrepreneur friend had said, that he became successful only after he focused on advertising his business. I looked around for a good idea, then focused on getting the word out about it everywhere I could,” she says.
Now, several years later, Noelani Rodriguez is a very successful eBook publisher and author. One of her earliest books, “Improve Your Credit Score in 24 Hours” is an internet bestseller, having sold about 70,000 copies to date. Her books have brought in over $1 Million in sales, and she works from home on her own schedule – or via laptop from Spain, Hawaii, and other exotic places she’s explored in her world travels.
When asked if she ever dreamed that she could make a good living and still have so much freedom to do what she enjoys, Rodriguez breaks into a grin. “No, I had no idea it would be this easy. There have been some challenges, but really very few. The biggest thing, at first, was finding the right idea. After that, it was just a matter of marketing, which the internet makes very easy.” For instance, Google and other search engines offer what’s called “pay per click” – which means you pay them only when people click on your ad and go to your website. “That’s like a pizza shop not paying for their advertising until people come in the door and smell the pizza! It’s a very cost-efficient way to advertise,” she says.
We all have creativity within us – and we all have things we can share with others that would make their lives easier. Of course, you have to find out what kind of information is selling on the internet, but that’s pretty easy to determine. I’m surprised that more people don’t jump into it,” says Noelani.
She’s doing more than just talking about it, though. Rodriguez’s newest venture is an eBook designed to help others achieve the freedom she’s found as an eBook author and publisher. It’s called “Write a Best Selling eBook,” and Noelani’s goal is to sell 30,000 copies. “I’m really proud of it. The book is 96 pages long and full of practical information. I not only take people through the concepts of how to write a best selling e-Book, I also give them step by step instructions on things like what the best e-Book topics are, how to set up credit card transactions, creating an ad campaign, everything you need to know to become a successful internet entrepreneur – and have fun doing it!”
For those who are skeptical about jumping out into the world of the self-employed, Rodriguez points out that there are more small businesses than ever before. In 2008, small business became the biggest employer in the U.S. , and women surpassed men in terms of people starting new businesses. If you poll millionaires, you find that 20% of them made their wealth through owning their own business. And starting an online business makes great fiscal sense in troubled economic times, when brick and mortar stores like Circuit City are closing their doors. There’s a reason that online companies have done better in the stock market recently as compared to others. Every year since the year 2000, more people have connected to the internet, and every year, more are shopping online. So even these days, internet businesses are showing a growth trend as their potential customer base expands.
My sales figures are over a period of years, so it’s not like I’m Donald Trump,” remarks Noelani. “But I’ve been comfortable and very happy. There’ve been times I’ve been free for months at a time, because with a successful eBook business, the web does most of your work for you. The advertising is set up online, sales and delivery are happening automatically. If you’re not writing a book or creating an advertising campaign, you’re free.”
Rodriguez describes it as getting to take a “mental health” day whenever she feels like it. “I’ve taken the massage classes and film-making classes that I always was interested in but didn’t have time for. I’ve become an ASCAP songwriter, and I even write poetry now. I spend more quality time with my family and friends, so my relationships have flourished. I can’t say enough about having a lifestyle with your time free, and having prosperity to boot. I’m thrilled I can share my experience with others who may be going through the loss of a job, like I did.”
She pauses for a moment. “Given how it felt the day I was laid off, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s true. I’m actually grateful I lost my job!”
Media Contact for Noelani Rodriguez: 503-330-6963
