“Invest like a king and spend like a beggar.” That’s advice from a 16-year-old. 👑
On Inside A Hustler’s Brain, I spoke with Umer Qureshi, a young blogger and affiliate marketer behind GuideBlogging. He says he makes six figures a month in INR. 💰
He shared how he started at 13, how he reinvests his earnings, and how he builds links the white-hat way. 🚀
📊 In this episode, we unpacked:
- 📱 Starting at 13 with YouTube
- ✍️ From copy-paste blogs to affiliate marketing
- 🎯 Choosing a niche you’re passionate about
- 💸 How he reinvests 70% of his earnings
- 🔗 White-hat link building and a 15-day ranking test
- 📉 Recovering from a Google update
🎥 Watch the full episode:
📱 Starting at 13 With YouTube
At 13, Umer found a “make money online” video on YouTube. It suggested YouTube or blogging and affiliate marketing. 📱
He started YouTube first and made about 100–150 videos across a few channels in around six months, then quit because he felt he lacked skills and knowledge. 🎥
✍️ From Copy-Paste Blogs to Affiliate Marketing
He began blogging at the end of 2017, copying other bloggers’ content and YouTube descriptions on a free platform. He soon realized that wouldn’t work. ✍️
He bought a domain and hosting with pocket money from his parents and learned to treat blogging as a business. 💼
At the end of 2018, he discovered affiliate marketing after trying AdSense and Media.net. About five or six months in, he got his first big check: $350. 🎉
🎯 Choosing a Niche You’re Passionate About
Nobody can hand you a niche that makes billions in a day. Pick something you’re passionate about, like dogs, and promote relevant offers. 🐶
One of his friends made about $100 in seven months copying others’ niches, then succeeded after switching to a hobby he loved. ❤️
After Amazon’s commission changes, Umer moved to other programs and niches like mattresses, health, dating, forex and Bitcoin. For more young-founder stories, read growth hacker Rohan Chaubey’s interview. 🔗
💸 How He Reinvests 70% of His Earnings
Umer reinvests about 70% into the business: roughly 50% on content and 20% on tools. He saves about 30%. 💸
His tools: Ahrefs and SEMrush for SEO, and ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign and Moosend for email. He also grabs lifetime deals. 🧰
He spends 2 hours a day learning, buys courses and books consultation calls, and spends about an hour a day helping newbies in his Facebook group of around 20,000 members. 📚
He hired a digital marketing agency of about 20 people for around ₹1 lakh a month. 👥
🔗 White-Hat Link Building and a 15-Day Ranking Test
He builds links with guest posts, broken link building and expired domains, and has never used PBNs. “Don’t make Google your enemy; make Google your friend.” 🤝
His experiment: a micro-niche coupon site for a software product, targeting a keyword with about 3,500 searches, reached page one in 15 days. It made one or two sales (about $50) on $200+ invested before the product was discontinued. 🧪
For more on expired domains, see my talk on expired domains and backlinks. 🔗
📉 Recovering From a Google Update
A Google update was the first big hit for Umer’s sites. He’s recovering by improving site speed, content quality and FAQ schema. 📉
I shared that one update cut BloggersIdeas by about 40% and some niche sites by 60–80%. User experience and page speed on mobile and desktop matter. ⚡
I also told how I met Neil Patel: I gave him my book in Bangkok in 2017, and when we met again in 2018 he remembered me and agreed to an interview. Be serious and offer value. For more on white-hat links, read Steven from WhitePress. 🙏
📝 Key Takeaways From the Umer Qureshi Interview
- 📱 You can start young; Umer began at 13
- 💼 Treat blogging as a business
- 🎯 Pick a niche you’re passionate about
- 💸 Reinvest most of what you earn
- 🔗 White-hat links still work
- 👑 Invest like a king, spend like a beggar
❓ FAQs About Umer Qureshi
How old was Umer Qureshi in this interview?
He was 16.
How did Umer Qureshi start making money online?
He tried YouTube at 13, started blogging at the end of 2017, and moved into affiliate marketing at the end of 2018, earning his first $350 about five or six months later.
How does Umer Qureshi build backlinks?
With white-hat methods: guest posts, broken link building and expired domains. He has never used PBNs.
🎙️ More Inside A Hustler’s Brain Interviews You’ll Love
- Kripesh Adwani Interview How He Makes 6 Figure Every Month From Youtube?
- How Jay Kapoor Makes $10k+ Per Month From Youtube & Instagram Reels
- Chai With Kj #4:From Rags to Riches: How Jitendra Vaswani Earns 6 Figures in Affiliate Marketing!
- Kalin Karakehayov Interview On Buying Expired SEO Domains
What’s stopping you from starting? “It’s you versus you in the end.” Share this with a young hustler. 💬
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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.
This indeed is very encouraging. A 15 years old blogger who makes $3000 per month? How did he discover the secret to affiliate marketing and what inspired him, at such tender age? I am dumbfounded over here.
Yes for sure