If you read my August 2014 Income Report, you know that I recently just launched my newest project, Famous Parenting. I'm really excited about this project, as it is a collaboration between my wife and I (the first time together online)! The goal of the site is simple: find the best parenting articles online and share them with other parents. Now that I'm a parent, I've been looking for fun and interesting articles to read. But what I've found across a ton of different parenting sites is the following: Coupons, sponsored posts, and crap Aggregator sites that pull RSS feeds and don't curate the crap Mom bloggers that dislike dad bloggers and vice versa Fun family photos, with no story or message The bottom line is, I … [Read more...]
The Key To Hiring A Contributor For Your Blog
I've been a contributor to a lot of websites, including Huffington Post and Forbes. I've also hired a lot of contributors to help me with all my websites. What frustrates me is that too many people and companies are getting it wrong when it comes to hiring a contributor. A contributor can be a great asset to a blog team. They can bring in different perspectives, different writing styles, even different knowledge of a subject. However, too many companies try to constrain their contributors and don't allow them the freedom to allow their talents to shine. As such, the relationship doesn't work as well as planned for the company, and it usually ends up frustrating the contributor as well. Follow this guide if planning to hire a … [Read more...]
Best Tools and Tricks For Running an Online Business While Working
I still work full time. I know - I haven't made the leap to self employment yet. But with that being said, side hustling is tough. And it requires some skills and tools that traditional entrepreneurs don't have to deal with. Let me back up a second. If you didn't realize it - I run 5 websites (including all the social media jazz and stuff), write for two major publications, freelance write for some other publications, have a wife, raise my son, and work full time 40-50 hours per week. It overwhelms me a bit writing that, but here I am, at 10pm at night, writing again. The truth is, I love to write, and I love online business. I have multiple sites because I get bored focusing on one thing and need to mix it up a bit. But all of … [Read more...]
How To Buy Websites, Monetize Them, and Run Them While Working Full Time
Owning a website has become a lucrative way for people to make money online. However, it's not as simple as just buying a site, throwing up some advertising, and watching the money roll in... I wish it was. I've bought three websites over the last year, and I've learned a few lessons along the way I want to share with you. If you read my last income report, you'll noticed that I added another website to my portfolio. The biggest, and overarching theme of my online website buying strategy is that I view online property similar to how real estate investors view physical property - and you should treat each and every website you own, or want to buy, the same way. This is a long article, but you can navigate to the sections below if … [Read more...]
How My Wife and Baby Have Made Me A Better Entrepreneur
If you were isolated in a room, with no contact with anyone, how successful would you be at your online endeavors? My guess is not very successful. Now, imagine building an online business without the support of your family and friends. How successful would you be? Not very... But until recently, I think I took this for granted. I never really understood what it meant to have a support system in place to help push my business and myself forward. But it all clicked for me last month when I went to the Financial Blogger Conference. Here was my wife, with our 10 week old baby at home, encouraging me to go since building an online business was incredibly important to me. That was huge. And, in hindsight, it was just one of many … [Read more...]
6 Ways Entrepreneurship Could Leave You Needing a Lawyer
Being an entrepreneur can be tough enough without thinking about the legal aspects of starting a business. But the truth is, being an entrepreneur can leave you needing a lawyer in more situations that you probably realize. I've been lucky enough to have some great lawyer friends who advised me in the process of setting up my business, but if you don't have that resource, there are several circumstances when you could need legal counsel. Whether you're already working your side hustle, or just thinking about beating the nine to five, here are six situations which could leave you needing a lawyer as an entrepreneur or solopreneur. 1. Setting Up Your Company The first time you probably want to consider getting a lawyer is … [Read more...]
