First, I’d like to thank Financial Samurai for his vision and hard work organizing the Yakezie into the largest personal finance network in the world. We’ve got a lot of cool bloggers here from all walks of life and I look forward to getting to know each of you.
Now let me tell you a bit about myself and what the Yakezie means to me.
Well, my name is Mike and I live in New Jersey with my beautiful wife and our 3 amazing children. I love them to death and want to spend as much time with them as possible, and that’s why I first set out on my quest to learn everything I could about saving money, getting our family out of debt, and making money online so I could spend more time at home.
The First Step On A Long Road
I started my first web site back in 2004, which feels like ancient history to me now. It was a simple, static site with about a dozen pages discussing the basics of wine. I still own that site and it still earns me money even though I haven’t added any new content in years.
Over the next few years I launched a whole slew of sites in an attempt to make some instant cash and earn enough to work from home full time. Some sites were created to generate revenue through AdSense. Others promoted various affiliate programs. One I used to promote an ebook I wrote. On another I sold PLR article packs and ghost writing services.
Most of those ventures were complete flops but a few of them stuck and have earned me a nice side income over the years. Not enough to give up the day job, but it’s a start.
But none of those sites were particularly fulfilling. I mean how many different ways can you spin articles about reverse lookup services or adult Halloween costumes?
The True Path
I decided to create a brand new site that I would dedicate myself to growing and expanding into an authority site that would actually be considered helpful and valuable to its readers. Personal finance was an obvious choice. I enjoy reading about business and finance and there is certainly no shortage of topics to write about. Plus it’s a big enough market that I could potentially make a living off it!
Of course as many of you have no doubt realized, blogging for money is easier said than done. It takes a lot of patience to keep posting when you’re getting almost no traffic and you feel like you’re talking to yourself. After just a couple of months I was close to quitting. I would have been just another blogger that came and went without anyone noticing.
But then I stumbled onto a post about a new group of PF bloggers…the Yakezie!
Though I was a little late jumping on the bandwagon, I was welcomed into the group with open arms. I’ve met some really cool people who have taught me a lot about being a successful blogger. I’ve been able to build relationships with a few of you so far and I hope to get to know more of you with time, so don’t be shy about reaching out to me for help or just to say hi! :)
If you want to get an idea of the type of content I post, here are a couple of suggestions…
7 Things I Learned Watching Honeymooners Re-runs
How to Use Skype to Save Hundreds on Your Phone Bill
We’re a part of something great here folks. We have people from all walks of life working together to build something that can help a lot of people. I can’t wait to watch how the Yakezie develops and grows!
This post is part of the Yakezie Member Post Series. See all member posts here.
Awesome stuff Mike…. You are like me been through the whole IM thing and got sick of it. I love my site now like a child and it’s earning me money…. bonus!
Following passion above chasing the $$$ works so much better in every aspect. Sam has proven that by doing what he does and managing to earn more from his blog than many of us guys who took the wrong path from the beginning…. Still I don’t regret what I learned reaching this point.
Hey Forest, Yea I’ve been around the IM block a few times…that’s a much different niche than personal finance. After awhile you hit a point where you’re sick of the “gurus” and their latest can’t-miss, surefire, sit back and let the cash pour in while you drink cocktails on the beach product for only $97!!
Mike,
I love reading how, over the years, you have kept trying new site ideas. As you say, some flopped, but you keep on keeping on. That adventuresome entrepreneurial spirit is an inspiration to me because I tend to over analyze everything to the point where I talk myself out of trying new ventures. Glad to have you as part of the Yakezie team.
Thanks Joe. Each of those flops taught me a valuable lesson and if I hadn’t gone through them I wouldn’t be the person I am today. It’s important to analyze and learn from your mistakes. That way each failure is just another step on your way to success.
Mike – thanks for sharing your background. It’s very interesting you still generate money from old sites that have not been touched in so long.
I can completely identify with your comment about how it isn’t so easy to be a blogger, and how you can feel like you are talking to yourself at times as the traffic is low! At least I always have my spammers to keep me amused! :)
So glad you found a niche you love, as you have a great blog!
Thanks Kris! It definitely is frustrating in the beginning and that’s why so many people quit in the first few months.
Having sites that earn revenue (even just a little) without much maintenance is a good way to slowly build passive streams of income.
Hi Mike!
I’m really glad you’ve changed your focus AWAY from making $$$ the main part of your online purpose, and more about community, having fun, and getting to know folks. I have to tell you, as soon as stop focusing on the money aspects, I really think the money will just come.
In the past 18 months, I’ve seen around 6-7 pretty popular bloggers just fade into nothing. The majority of them were writing Money Making posts (affiliate stuff) with 30-50% of their content, and that is some soul sucking, uninspiring stuff!
You talk about the “crossover point” regarding making enough money online to quite your day job. What percentage of your day job income did you manage to get at your peak? What percentage would it have to get to for you to make the leap?
Good stuff Mike! Glad to have you as part of the group.
Cheers,
Sam
You make a great point Sam. If you’re only in it for the money, it will show in your content. And if the money doesn’t come right away it will too easy to quit.
As far as the crossover point is concerned, I still have a way to go. My online income has grown with each year (except last year when I had personal stuff taking up a lot of time) but it’s still only around 15% of my regular salary. Plus if I need enough to pay for benefits which is not insignificant.
Cool. At what point as a percentage of your full time, would you be up for quitting your full time job? For me, that number is around 40-50%.
Hmmmm…that’s a tough one. I would think it would have to be higher than that for me to pull away the safety net. Especially since we’re still working on paying down our debt.
Actually what would be sweet is if I could make enough online to live off completely and then my current job would be the “side-job”.
That would be a nice flip of events, especially given the health care a full time job provides.
It’s great to get to know you. It’s very impressive that you have a few sites on the side generating a little income for you. I’m building up some alternative streams of income, myself. And you’re right! It’s much easier said than done. I look forward to getting to know you better through your posts. Welcome!
Thanks Little House! Easier said than done. This takes a lot more work than most people would think.
Hey Mike, out of curiousity, what’s your wine website? I’m more a beer guy, but I do love the occassional bottle of vino, i just never know what to get. I always end up going for the “staff picks” in the $12-16 range. I have no need to be pretentious or spend a lot of money, I just want something that tastes good.
I think this would be a great PF topic as well…maybe a post from an expert? As a broad generalization, I figure spending less than $12 you may run into quality issues, and more than $16 you’re just spending because you think price=quality. I realize of course there are some delicious wines worth the money, but my palette is not civilized enough to really tell the difference. BTW- I’d love a good smooth Pinot Noir recommendation :).
It’s called Virtual Wine Guide. It’s nothing special really but it gets decent traffic and I do ok with AdSense.
I m sooooo NOT a wine expert! But if you like Pinot Noir I really like Michael Pozzan. :)
Thanks for sharing your background Mike! I hear you on talking to yourself blogging! I have to keep saying to myself at least 10 times everyday to be patient :)
It is great that you have a few sites that are still generating income without updates. That is impressive! I look forward to getting to know you better through your posts!
Hey, Mike! Thanks for sharing your story. I think you’ll find success given your determination and willingness to keep trying new things!
P.S. Forest, in regard to your comment at the top – I was just wondering how much Sam is making and how. (Obviously, you can choose to answer the question, too, Sam. If you want…) I’m always looking for ways to diversify my site’s income and for new ideas to improve how it works for users as well.
Thanks Paul, I think it’s important to be open-minded and try new things…especially online where things can change in the blink of an eye.
Mike, you have a great story and an obvious wealth of knowledge on web sites/multiple income streams. I’m looking forward to reading more about you, and getting to know you a little better.
I never realized web sites could make money, but have created a few of them in the past, as just a hobby. I’m happy to say that by following my passion, I am now earning a small chunk of cash from my site. It’s a great feeling knowing that doing something you love can actually become financially beneficial if you stick to it.
Hey Jesse…agreed, it’s really cool when you can make money doing something you actually enjoy!
Mike – thanks for sharing your intro post. It’s great that you have tried some different things, and have been persistent with pursuing alternate streams of income. Looking forward to spending more time looking through your blog.
Thanks Squirrelers, looking forward to getting to know you better too. I only found your blog recently but I like what I’ve seen.
Hey Mike, thanks for giving us a glimpse into what makes you tick! Fellow NJ resident here! You are absolutely right about having the correct focus on your site. I didn’t even know you could make money off of a website when I first started (still can’t tell based on my numbers), but I love writing about finance and the bible!
Hey Khaleef, I didn’t know you were in NJ too. There’s a good number of us in the NY metro area. Hope to get to know you better in the future.
Hey Mike,
Glad to learn more about your journey along the way! My blog is actually my first real web project; I have another travel blog but it is a very casual project, and before that I had a couple of personal sites that I never really did much with.
I’m glad to be part of the journey with you, and I agree completely about following your passion. I think what Sam is saying is pretty spot on.
I started out casually too and really did it as a hobby just for the sake of learning too. One day I made a $60 affiliate sale pretty much by accident, and from that point on I was hooked.
Mike, Great to hear your back-story! Hope you reach your goal of being able to quit your day job some day. Or maybe you can find a day job that gives you more flexibility!
Thanks Dr Dean! I’m lucky that I actually do have some flexibility with my job, but not enough for my own tastes. :)
Mike, if you get the $20 mil, can you donate several thousand to the Yakezie to kickstart the scholarship? :)
You bet! :)
BTW Mike, donno what’s wrong with the Tweet count button. It’s totally off as this post has probably been tweeted close to 10 times, so don’t fret if so!
GREAT INTRO! I’d love for you to write about your adventures with niche websites (at least that is what it sounds like you were doing). It could be a multipart series on your blog.
I didn’t know you were in NJ! Man, there are a bunch of you in NJ
That’s a great idea Evan! I think I will create a series on my adventures with mini-sites and share what worked and what didn’t.
Wow, Mike, based off of your history, you sound like a seasoned professional! Have fun with that 20 million, keep blogging ;)
LOL…I wouldn’t call myself a pro but probably been online longer than most. I’ve noticed some folks asking questions about things that I assumed everyone knew already. Hopefully I can help out with things like that.
Good to meet you mike. It is fun to see that your first website still generates revenue for you. My first websites are long gone from the Internet.
Thanks! It doesn’t earn a ton but it’s a nice stable stream. Just gotta keep building more of those!
I’m so glad you stuck around since I enjoy your site so much!
Thanks Crystal!
Why do I feel so behind the times? I didn’t even know what a blog was until 2008!
Thanks for sharing your story, Mike!
Len
Len Penzo dot Com
Hey Len, you’re certainly doing ok for yourself considering you didn’t start that long ago!
Think your experience resonates with a lot of us. For the first few months, I didn’t think anyone was reading my articles and it wasn’t until I jointed the Yakezie that it begin to grow and expand. To me, the relationships we’ve all built here are worth far more than any other metric (rankings, traffic, revenue, etc).
I agree completely. The Alexa rankings are nice and all but it’s really the people I’ve met that have made the Yakezie group special.
Hi Mike, nice to read that you are an internet guru :-) For only $97 I can show you how to join the Yakezie, oh wait you already did that. And for free non the less. Keep up the great writing…
LOL..definitely not a guru. Just been around a bit longer than others so I’ve had more time to learn from my mistakes.
Mike, I enjoyed reading your introduction and am impressed how long you’ve been on the web. I agree with you about the value of this community. If we can all generate income together, that’s even better!
Thanks Kay. I think if we all work together we can achieve a lot here.
Awesome story Mike. I’m glad you didn’t quit, and I think going the PF route for a website has been successful for you because you had much more of a personal attachment rather than the other sites you started. I’d love to hear more about your experiences with all the website and if there were similar communities (like Yakezie) in other niches.
You’re right Andrew. I’m definitely more attached to this blog than my other sites and that is a big help. Another factor is that the PF community in general is more helpful and friendly than many other niches. People help one another here. It’s not like that in some niches.
That’s awesome Mike. We’re really lucky to have that and not have it be an ultra competitive environment. It makes it more fun and everyone benefits. That’s interesting to hear about the other niches.
I agree that the PF community as a whole is one of the friendliest and most helpful out there. Great introduction to a little bit of your history – I even got a bit of a smile with some of your past ventures – hawking adult halloween costumes!? LOL :) I suppose the PF gig is a tad more fulfilling?
Most definitely, PF is a great niche to be in.
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