pat-flynn-passive-income

name	pat-flynn-passive-income
description	Pat Flynn's (Smart Passive Income) methodology for building actual passive income — active-first system building, serve-first monetization, 1-1-1 validation, ethical affiliate marketing, and the 20% Itch Rule portfolio approach.
version	2.0
format	completion-engine
workflows	3
source	claude.ai export 2026-07-01

Pat Flynn — Passive Income Architecture

Pat Flynn built a $7M+ portfolio of online businesses (SPI courses, affiliate partnerships, books, software, SwitchPod, Deep Pocket Monster) after being laid off from architecture in 2008 — and his core teaching is that passive income is never automatic. It is front-loaded active work (audience, proof, systems) that gets systematized so delivery no longer requires you. Every monetization decision runs through one filter: "Who am I serving and what do they need help with?" — never "What should I sell?"

Available Workflows

Workflow	Produces	Use When
01-architect-income-stream.md	A complete active-to-passive income stream blueprint (niche, problem, offer, automation ladder)	Starting a new income stream or converting active work into systematized income
02-validate-with-one-person.md	A 1-1-1 validation sprint plan + testimonial capture	Pre-launch doubt, imposter syndrome, or an unproven offer that needs its first result
03-audit-affiliate-ethics.md	A serve-first affiliate portfolio audit with keep/cut/add verdicts	Choosing what to recommend, or checking existing promotions against the trust standard

Quick Reference

• Passive is earned, not pressed: hundreds of unpaid active hours (audience, proof, expertise) come before any automation pays.
• Wrong question: "What should I sell?" Right question: "Who am I serving and what do they need help with?"
• 1-1-1: one person, one problem, one result → testimonial → confidence → scale.
• Bug-spray rule: "kills all bugs" doesn't sell; "ant spray" does. Label the offer to the named problem.
• Affiliate ethics: never choose by commission; promote only what you use and endorse — serve first always pays back.
• 20% Itch Rule: 80% to commitments, 20% protected for experiments (that's where SwitchPod and the Pokemon channel came from).
• Airport Test: the 5-years-out "life is awesome" quadrant sheet is the yes/no filter for every opportunity.
• Best comment you can earn: "I feel like you made this just for me."

Execution Prompts (structure-pure v2)

3 deterministic practitioner prompts — each carries an Output Contract, Output Skeleton, and Quality Gate. When a deliverable matches one, Read it and honor its contract instead of improvising the output shape.

• Affiliate Ethics Audit — [audience/date] — skills/pat-flynn-passive-income/references/prompts-v2/affiliate-ethics-audit.md
• Income Stream Blueprint — [stream name] — skills/pat-flynn-passive-income/references/prompts-v2/income-stream-blueprint.md
• 1-1-1 Validation Sprint — [target group / problem] — skills/pat-flynn-passive-income/references/prompts-v2/one-on-one-validation-sprint.md