Quick Take
- Narration: David Lindahl, one of the book’s co-authors, narrates with the energy of someone who has personally done what he is describing.
- Themes: Information product creation, online business fundamentals, side income without quitting your job
- Mood: Practical and motivating, occasionally over-enthusiastic in its own promotional tone
- Verdict: A solid foundational framework for building an online information product business, with some dated tactical details that listeners will need to update with current platforms.
I listen to a lot of business audiobooks in a professional capacity, and I have learned to distinguish between books that are genuinely trying to teach you something and books that are primarily trying to sell you something. The Six Figure Second Income by Jonathan Rozek and Dave Lindahl sits in a productive middle zone: it is openly promotional in its enthusiasm, but the underlying framework it describes is real and the specific guidance is more concrete than most books in this genre offer.
I came to it having heard it recommended in a newsletter context, which is probably how most listeners find it. Published in 2011 and narrated by Lindahl himself, it covers the process of creating and selling information products online, specifically for people who want a meaningful income stream without the risk of abandoning stable employment. That constraint shapes everything about the book’s advice.
Our Take on The Six Figure Second Income
The book’s strongest contribution is its honest treatment of what Rozek and Lindahl call the ten false barriers to online business success. These are the belief structures that prevent most capable people from starting: the idea that the market is saturated, that you need significant capital, that you need to be young, that you need an invention rather than knowledge. Working through these barriers methodically is the most durable part of the book, because the psychology of inaction has not changed even as the platforms have.
The core advice around information products, taking what you know and packaging it for people who want to learn it, remains sound. The specific tactical guidance on website building and Google tools is genuinely dated, published in 2011 and reflecting the platform landscape of that era. Listeners who approach it as a framework rather than a step-by-step technical manual will extract more value. Reviewers who have put the advice into practice consistently report that the approach works when executed with patience.
Why Listen to The Six Figure Second Income
Lindahl narrating his own book is a stylistic choice that either works for you or it does not. His delivery is energetic and confident in the way that someone who has personally built the business he is describing naturally speaks about it. He is not performing neutrality. One reviewer who read the book as part of a personal challenge to work through 100 business titles called it "one of the more relevant" of the group, which tells you something about how it compares to the genre average.
The audiobook format suits the material reasonably well. The chapters are structured clearly, the examples are concrete, and Lindahl’s conversational delivery makes the ideas accessible. At just over seven hours, it does not overstay its welcome.
What to Watch For in The Six Figure Second Income
The repeated invitations to visit the authors’ website for supplementary material are a real friction point. One reviewer found it so aggravating that it became the dominant memory of the experience. That criticism is fair. The approach was probably necessary in 2011 to keep the tactical content current, but in an audiobook it reads as promotional interruption rather than value-add. Listeners who are forewarned will find it less distracting than those who encounter it cold.
The core framework of identifying a niche, packaging knowledge, and building a small sales infrastructure is not dependent on any specific platform and remains actionable. The specific tools referenced, however, need to be mentally translated into their current equivalents. A listener who finishes this book and wants to apply it will need to do additional research into current email marketing and course platform options.
Who Should Listen to The Six Figure Second Income
This audiobook suits people who are considering an online business based on existing expertise and want a structured framework for thinking about information products before diving into more specific tactical resources. It is a starting orientation rather than a complete playbook, and treating it as such prevents disappointment. Those with established online businesses or experience in the information product space will find it too foundational. Anyone frustrated by vague "mindset" business books that never get specific will appreciate that Rozek and Lindahl at least try to be concrete, even where the specifics have aged.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the advice in The Six Figure Second Income still relevant given it was published in 2011?
The strategic framework and psychological diagnosis of why people fail to start are durable. The specific tactical details about websites and Google tools are dated and will need updating with current platform research. Treat it as a starting framework, not a current technical manual.
Does Lindahl narrating his own book help or hurt the listening experience?
It depends on your tolerance for confident self-promotion. Lindahl speaks with genuine authority about material he has personally applied, which gives the narration energy and credibility. Listeners who prefer neutral professional narration may find his delivery too enthusiastic.
How disruptive are the website referrals that reviewers mention?
Frequent enough to be noticeable. The book regularly encourages listeners to visit the authors’ site for updated resources, which feels promotional rather than supplementary. One reviewer named it the audiobook’s primary flaw. Being aware of it going in reduces the annoyance.
What kind of online business does this book actually prepare you to build?
Specifically information product businesses: ebooks, courses, guides, and similar knowledge products sold online. The book is not about e-commerce, dropshipping, or service businesses. Its scope is clearly defined, and listeners looking for advice in other categories should look elsewhere.
