Agency Dropout Builds $100K Publishing Empire From a Beach in Mallorca

Surrounded by Barcelona's bustling advertising agencies and sleek corporate offices, Laia Blanch had become a maestro of brand building. Her portfolio sparkled with success stories, her career trajectory pointed ever upward. Yet beneath the polished exterior of client meetings and campaign launches, a quiet restlessness stirred.

"I kept reinventing myself, always seeking a more creative role, greater freedom, and work that truly fulfilled me."

Little did she know that her quest for purpose would lead her far from the city's creative studios to an unexpected destination: the sun-drenched shores of Mallorca, where she would trade PowerPoint presentations for Book Publishing, building not just brands, but a whole new life.

Let's be real - nobody starts a business and hits gold on their first try.

Laia and Gerard learned this the hard way. "We failed so many times I lost count," Laia says. "But each failure taught us something critical about what actually works."

Their journey went like this:

Started with MLM skincare - crashed and burned, but learned how to sell. Moved to Amazon FBA - dealing with inventory headaches and slim margins. But here's where it got interesting: they were giving away free ebooks with their products. Then they noticed something: other sellers were making serious money just selling the ebooks.

"That was our wake-up call," Laia explains. "We were sitting on a gold mine and didn't even know it."

So they went all-in on digital publishing. No experience. No connections. Just pure hustle. "We knew nothing about publishing," Laia admits. "But here's what we did know - we were willing to outwork everyone else in the room."

Why publishing? Simple math:

• No inventory costs
• No shipping headaches
• Work from anywhere
• Scale without limits
• Profit margins that actually make sense

"The moment we understood the business model, everything changed," says Laia. Finally, they had a way to make real money without being chained to a warehouse or dealing with returns.

Here's what matters: they didn't just dream about freedom - they built a system to achieve it. Their publishing business wasn't just another "side hustle." It was their ticket to location independence and real wealth.

After wasting time on countless "how to make money online" programs, Laia and Gerard found Nespola. The difference was obvious from day one. "Look, we wanted two things," Laia says. "Create solid books that actually help people, and make real money doing it. No fluff, no BS." Their years of failed businesses taught them one crucial lesson: talk is cheap, results matter.

When they met Manu (Nespola Co-Founder), everything shifted. "The meeting was like a slap in the face - in a good way," Laia remembers. "Every word he said was backed by real results. No theory, just proven systems that work."

PublishingOS (Nespola's Program & Community) wasn't just another "strategy" or "framework." It was a complete operating system for building a profitable publishing business. For Laia, who'd spent years in marketing, it was exactly what she'd been looking for: a step-by-step blueprint that turns publishing into a real, profitable, scalable business.

The decision to trust Nespola marked the beginning of a real transformation for Laia and Gerard. After years of failed business attempts, Laia and Gerard finally hit gold. "Let me be honest - seeing actual money hit our account from our first books was mind-blowing," Laia says. "Everything before that was just theory. This was real."

They started simple: activity books and fitness guides. No fancy strategies, just following PublishingOS's proven system step by step. The results?

Here's what they built:

• 24 books in their portfolio
• 10 books doing the heavy lifting on revenue
• One single book bringing in €1,000+ every month
• Reached €25,000 in royalties in just one month.
• Achieved their first €100,000 in total royalties.

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They're not special. They just found a system that works and executed it religiously.

"Here's the truth about publishing - you're going to mess up. A lot." Laia doesn't sugarcoat it. "Every book launch teaches you something new. The key? Learn fast and keep moving."

Their biggest hurdles?

• First, book creation delays killed their momentum. Books that should've taken weeks dragged into months.
• Second, Amazon Ads scared the hell out of them. "Dropping hundreds on ads for a book that might flop? That's terrifying," Laia admits. "But here's what we learned - if you're not willing to spend money to make money, you're just playing around."

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The game-changer? AI tools.

"We're selling books in markets where we don't speak the language. Think about that. Five years ago, that would've been impossible." They turned what used to be their biggest limitation - language barriers - into a massive advantage.

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3 key lessons they learned:

• Speed beats perfection - get books out fast, fix problems later
• Marketing budget isn't an expense - it's rocket fuel for growth
• Use AI tools to enter markets others can't touch

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"The publishers making real money aren't waiting for perfect conditions," Laia says. "They're pushing through problems while everyone else is making excuses."

After years of failed businesses, Laia and Gerard finally cracked the code. Their numbers are great, but here's what really matters - they built exactly the life they wanted.

The proof?

• Ditched Barcelona's rat race for Mallorca's beaches
• No more 9-5 prison (or dealing with annoying clients)
• Work from anywhere, anytime
• Business runs working less

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This isn't just about money. This business completely rewired how they think, who they hang out with, everything. Most people think they're crazy for leaving 'stable' jobs. But the ones who get it? They're usually building something similar.

While everyone else is dreaming about the "laptop lifestyle," Laia and Gerard actually built it. They created a proven system with consistent execution and the guts to make it happen. They now own a business that serves their lives, not the other way around.

That's what happens when you find the right business model and execute like hell.