What I do for a Living and Why I Created this Site

Several people from the email list have asked me what it is I do for a living. It was after receiving a few of these messages, that I realized I haven’t talked about it in any of my posts. My priority here is helping people accept and get over hair loss, but it’s important for the integrity of this site that you know what I’m all about.

I make money doing a combination of freelance writing and website building. A lot of my freelance writing projects are based on travel in West Africa. I have spent a lot of time there and there are not that many other people writing on this region of the world. When I say building websites, I’m talking about a combination of web design and content-driven websites. For example, I help to run a travel safety tips website at http://mytravelsafety.net.

You’ll notice that mytravelsafety.net has advertisements on it. My income on that site comes from advertisements and affiliate links. For example, I recommend World Nomads insurance. This is the same insurance company I use when I travel and they have always provided me with awesome service. If someone buys insurance through my link, I get a commission. This is great because 1. it helps me make a little income, 2. the price of the insurance is the same whether or not people go through my link (in other words, the commission comes out of the pockets of world nomads, not the customer, and 3. they provide awesome travel insurance.

The advertisements are generated by google adsense. I do not control the ads. Google Adsense works by matching keywords and displaying ads it thinks are appropriate for the topic of the site. This brings me to my next point.

There is no google adsense on this site. There never will be. If I put google adsense on here the ads generated would all be related to hair loss treatments. It would be ads for rogaine and propecia and laser combs and hair restoration surgery and all that other crap that I absolutely can’t stand.

I created this site because I got over my own hair loss and I want others to share in this feeling. For so many years I was filled with anxiety and worry. It doesn’t have to be this way!! That is my mission. Trying to convince people that there is another way to live life.

Full disclosure: there is one affiliate link on this site. There is a button on the right in the sidebar that says “break out of 9-5.” It links to Unconventional Guides, a series of how-to’s for living an unconventional life. I have all the guides and they have all made an impact on how I live my life (including the frequent flyer guide!!). In particular, the guide for working for yourself is the reason I’ve been able to be self-employed for the past year. That book put the wheels in motion and I recommend it to anyone that is looking to think differently about where and how their income is generated.

That said, it’s taken a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice. There were many moments where I was close to quitting. Don’t consider buying that guide or any other how-to guide unless you are motivated and willing to put the work in.

This post has kind of been all over the place, and I realize it’s not really covering my usual topics. I wanted to make sure that you understand what my motivations are with this site, and it’s important that you know if I’m making any money off of it.

One last thing before I go, check this out: 40 Upsides of Being Bald. It is a pdf ebook that has 40 advantages to being bald. Some of them are funny, some are novel, some are right on the money. It also has great illustrations. The idea reminded me of my own “Ten Reasons Hair Loss is a Blessing” that I give away when you join the email list. The home page for this project can be found at pelones.net (the site is in Spanish but the ebook is not).

If you enjoyed this post, check out my How to Deal with Hair Loss ebook. It details my personal story of beating male pattern baldness, explains all the options for dealing with hair loss, and offers concrete tips and strategies for getting over it and building confidence.