Today I’m pleased to say we have an interview with Henri Junttila from Wake Up Cloud.  I’ve been aware of and a fan of Henri’s work for some time and I think you will be to if you check out his site.  But let’s dig into the first interview shall we so you can find out a little about him.

 

1) Hi Henri, why don’t we start with you telling us a little about yourself, where in the world you’re based and also a little about Wake Up Cloud and what it’s all about?

 

I was born and raised in Sweden by Finnish parents, so I’m bilingual (Finnish and Swedish). At the age of 6 or 7, I picked up English by watching cartoons.

At 16 I discovered that working 9-to-5 wasn’t my thing. Two years later, I discovered online poker, from which I made a living for 5 years (until 2009).

In 2009, I got serious about building websites around topics that interested me, so I shifted how I made my living from poker to websites.

At the end of 2009 I felt like diving even deeper into what I truly enjoyed doing. That’s when Wake Up Cloud was born. It was born out of my inspiration to share what I was doing and how I was able to do what I love.

I wanted to inspire others to do the same, because I believe anyone can do this. If you’re reading this right now and yearning to do the same, it means you can. You just have to start.

Wake Up Cloud didn’t start out as me teaching others how to get paid to do what they love. It started out as me sharing my life experiences. 

When my readers figured out that I was living in Spain at the time (I’m currently in Finland), they wanted to know more. They wanted to know how I was able to make a location independent living. So I started sharing more, and as time passed, more and more people asked me to help them, so I did.

 

2) Where did the initial spark for Wake Up Cloud come from and what led to you wanting to make a living online?

The spark for Wake Up Cloud came from me yearning to step into what I was passionate and excited about.

I love uplifting and inspiring people, especially when it comes to money. I believe that you can make a handsome living doing what you love.

There are people that say otherwise out there, but in the end it comes down to whether or not you want to enjoy life or not.

When you love what you do, the rest falls into place. When you’re happy right now, more happiness comes to you. 

I’ve always been into websites, so creating profitable websites seemed like the natural step for me after poker. It felt right, so that’s where I went.

 

3) What have been some of the main challenges you’ve faced making your living online?

There have been quite a few, such as:

– Too much information. In the beginning, I bought every course I could find. I was looking for a shortcut to success. I ended up overwhelmed, frustrated, and $10,000+ short. I don’t regret it, because I did learn a lot, and I’m now passing on what I learned to my readers.

– Bad information. A large part of the information you find on making a living online is, well, bad. It doesn’t come from a reputable source (e.g. from someone who’s doing what they’re teaching). It took me a while to find the right source of information.

– Focus. But even when I found the right source of information, I lacked focus. It wasn’t until I started to focus on one thing at a time that I saw results. That’s when I went from $0 to $2,000+ per month in a year. And that’s when I spent 11 months in Spain with my girlfriend (and our dog).

 

4) And what are some of the major benefits of making an online living?

There are so many. Here are a few that come to mind:

– Freedom. I can work when I want, and from where I want. I get to spend time with my son and the people I love. I get to explore life and have fun.

– Fun. Making a living online doing something you’re interested in is like being a kid in a candy store. It’s delicious. There are always new challenges and opportunities to test out.

– Growth. There are a lot of fears and worries that pop up along the way, but they are opportunities to grow. As I’ve grown, my business has grown, and today my life is amazing, and only getting better.

– Purpose. I love uplifting people, and I feel fulfilled doing that. For a long time, I looked for my purpose, but what I’ve realized is that it’s right here. My purpose (and yours) is to feel good and act from our inspiration. That’s when you’ll feel fulfilled and like you’re on the right track.

 

That ties up part 1 of our interview with Henri but in part 2 we’ll get an insight into his new book and also how to write and blog better.  Don’t miss it!