Don't be mesmerized by the money.  Make it a goal to stick with your site for a minimum of 5 years, or 10 years, and I'm sure you'll have incredible opportunities.

$1 million is not $1 million.  You have to look at the risk free rate of return in this environment + a premium, not selling based on yearly multiples imo.

If your site generates $100,000 a year, that takes $5 million in the bank at 2% risk free, and $2.5 million in the bank with a 2% effort premium over risk free to generate $100,000 a year.  

Think longer term.  If you have the time, and can buy sites for 1-2X annual revenue, you should be buying as many quality sites as you can.  The key X factor is time.

Regards,

Sam

There's some days I think I could be had for pretty cheap.  :-)

Just a guess, but I suspect that the more personality a blog has (versus more informatic, fact-based content) the harder the sale might be to a corporate buyer.  Just like a walk-through a listed house, the first thing a real estate agent advises is to "declutter". Get rid of the personal knick-knacks, and make the appeal as wide as possible.  

Just an opinion.

But Andrew, isn't it a 30 mins job for the new owner to fit it in to his/her liking? I mean I know I can change your blog to my taste in in less than 30 mins..just for example..

There's some days I think I could be had for pretty cheap.  :-)

Just a guess, but I suspect that the more personality a blog has (versus more informatic, fact-based content) the harder the sale might be to a corporate buyer.  Just like a walk-through a listed house, the first thing a real estate agent advises is to "declutter". Get rid of the personal knick-knacks, and make the appeal as wide as possible.  

Just an opinion.

Good point. If you think you might want to sell in the future, then it would make sense to write more genarically.

Just a guess, but I suspect that the more personality a blog has (versus more informatic, fact-based content) the harder the sale might be to a corporate buyer.  Just like a walk-through a listed house, the first thing a real estate agent advises is to "declutter". Get rid of the personal knick-knacks, and make the appeal as wide as possible.  

Just an opinion.

The next paragraph was to address the actual question of the thread of whether Couple Money would sell for a million right now. I believe I have quite a ways to go before someone would offer that much to buy it. Sorry for the confusion Evan. 

 

Ah that makes sense Elle! 

JT_McGee said:

Isn't that like saying that all Yakezie members would sell their homes at a loss for $100k because $100k is a lot of money?  The multiple doesn't seem all that unreasonable, so it would make sense someone would hold firm.  

I am not sure if I think the multiple is or isn't reasonable but regardless it isn't the same because you are talking about a loss, most people started their blog for $60 bucks or less if they had a coupon code (or at least I did).  Even if I took into account ALL the freelancers I ever hired and hosting which is now on a VPS, we are probably talking about 2 months income. 

Call me crazy, but I really believe that 50% of all yakezie members and 99% of yakezie challengers would sell if anyone came to them with something above 6 figures.  Maybe it isn't the right choice to sell but that is a large sum of money for most people AND VERY HARD TO TURN DOWN if a check is sitting waiting for you.

Maybe I wasn't clear with how I posted. What I'm saying is my minimum to consider selling Couple Money would be 4x-6x annual income. So if Couple Money brings in $20k/year, I'd think about my selling options if I received an offer for $80k-$120k. 

The next paragraph was to address the actual question of the thread of whether Couple Money would sell for a million right now. I believe I have quite a ways to go before someone would offer that much to buy it. Sorry for the confusion Evan. 

Elle said:

If there comes a time to sell Couple Money I'd look for 4x-6x annual income and decide on whether or not to start another personal finance blog. 

To answer the thread's question about whether my blog would sell for $1 million that would be a no. Have to continue to put in some elbow grease in. :D

Elle that doesn't make sense at all. 4x annual income would mean that you have to be making more than $250K/yr? and 6x would mean that your income is more than $166K/yr.  Right? 

Call me crazy, but I really believe that 50% of all yakezie members and 99% of yakezie challengers would sell if anyone came to them with something above 6 figures.  Maybe it isn't the right choice to sell but that is a large sum of money for most people AND VERY HARD TO TURN DOWN if a check is sitting waiting for you. 

Isn't that like saying that all Yakezie members would sell their homes at a loss for $100k because $100k is a lot of money?  The multiple doesn't seem all that unreasonable, so it would make sense someone would hold firm.  

If there comes a time to sell Couple Money I'd look for 4x-6x annual income and decide on whether or not to start another personal finance blog. 

To answer the thread's question about whether my blog would sell for $1 million that would be a no. Have to continue to put in some elbow grease in. :D

 

Elle that doesn't make sense at all. 4x annual income would mean that you have to be making more than $250K/yr? and 6x would mean that your income is more than $166K/yr.  Right? 

Call me crazy, but I really believe that 50% of all yakezie members and 99% of yakezie challengers would sell if anyone came to them with something above 6 figures.  Maybe it isn't the right choice to sell but that is a large sum of money for most people AND VERY HARD TO TURN DOWN if a check is sitting waiting for you. 

I'm still happy about the decision - I see Couple Money as a site to grow with and more potential for income. As an added bonus I get paid to make weekly contributions to my old site. I'm also happy about who I sold it to - M-35 has been doing a fantastic job with GPT. 

If you're looking at selling your blog at some point, maximize your price by getting your site in tip top shape:

• Keep good stats: Buyers will want to know the numbers over time. Don't guess - keep records on your subscribers, twitter followers, Facebook likes, etc. This is a business transaction, be professional. 
• Diversify your site income streams: If you have multiple ways that your site brings in money, it makes it makes it a more attractive buy as it appears more stable.
• Tailor to your potential buyer: Highlight your plusses that appeal to that particular buyer (or group of buyers) (like high engagement on Twitter) and use that to negotiate a higher price.
• Have a minimum in mind: Whether it's a certain amount or multiple, have some thing in mind before you start talking. 

Did I do all of the above with GPT? No; but I've learned quickly and adjusted. I hope it can help others with the process. 

By the way you may discover it's in your best interest to hold on to your site instead of selling. Only you can make that decision. 

If there comes a time to sell Couple Money I'd look for 4x-6x annual income and decide on whether or not to start another personal finance blog. 

To answer the thread's question about whether my blog would sell for $1 million that would be a no. Have to continue to put in some elbow grease in. :D