I’m Hiring + Mr Wonderful’s 1st Million + 170 Year old business goes digital

Last updated: September 3, 2021

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If you aren't interested in working with me, that's okay. I still have 3 great online business stories that I think you'll enjoy below, so feel free to skip ahead.

Over the years, Niche Pursuits has grown beyond what I originally planned as a simple blog to document my niche site journey.

While I continue to juggle several balls at once: building niche sites, Link Whisper, other software tools, a Mom blog, chrome extensions, etc…I often run out of time or neglect the great business that Niche Pursuits has become.

Even so, I've been able to grow some aspects of Niche Pursuits recently with my limited time and I'm ready to scale that up!

As a result, I need to hire a full-time digital marketer in order to help me grow and expand my business.

I'm NOT looking for a VA. I'm looking for someone that can work closely with me to both strategize and brainstorm ideas and execute those ideas with a little guidance from me.

If you are interested in a full-time remote position working with me, you can see the full details and how to apply right here.

I prefer someone that is familiar with my Niche Pursuits brand; hence the mention in my email today :).

The Digital Scales Have Tipped

One reason I'm hiring is that digital content and online marketing is a rising tide.

More and more business is being done online, and more and more people prefer to get their news online than regular newspapers.

This was evidenced by the fact that the New York Times, a 170 year old newspaper, for the very first time this quarter posted larger revenue for its online operations than it's traditional newspaper business.

The CEO calls it a “watershed moment” for the paper.

It really is fascinating that a 170 year old business has finally tipped it's scale to go digital and never plans to look back.

The New York Times made $185 million in revenues from digital subscriptions and online ads last quarter, and “only” $175 million from prints subscriptions and print ads.

This is an interesting story for many reasons, but here's a few takeaways for you:

The New York Times is proving that people are willing to pay a subscription for news and quality information. (I think this is also being proven by all the premium email newsletters that are being launched, but I'll save a full discussion on that topic for another time).
Print isn't dead, but it's dying. Digital is king and it's here to stay. So, if you own an online business, you are in the right business. If you haven't started your online business – get on it…the tides are rising!
An old dog CAN learn new tricks. What are some old habits or strategies that you have in your business that need go?

You can read the entire story of the New York Times right here.

Kevin O'Leary's First Million

I love reading, listening to, and watching success stories.

Kevin O'leary from Shark Tank, aka, “Mr. Wonderful” has never shared the story of how he made his first $1 million…until just 2 months ago.

It's hard to believe that he's been on television and involved with business for so many decades, yet he's never shared this story publicly before.

I watched Mr. Wonderful's video recently about his first million and I found it quite interesting. In fact, I picked up a small tidbit that I plan to apply to my business.

If you are looking for a little motivation today, check out Kevin O'leary's first million story right here.

Jeff Bezo's First Billion

Okay, the next story isn't exactly about how Jeff Bezos made his first billion – we already know that…Amazon.

However, what if you could look back 20 years when Amazon was small and scrappy and really didn't know for sure what's it's future would be?

What if you could ask Jeff Bezos a bunch of questions about why his company might survive and others fail?

Even though Amazon.com was clearly an online business to start, Jeff Bezos did not think of themselves as a pure internet play. And perhaps that's a lesson that we can all learn from…even though we clearly run online businesses.

Check out this really interesting interview that Jeff Bezos gave in 1999.

The mindset, the drive, and the clear understanding of where he was trying to take Amazon is impressive.

Overall, I hope you find some of these stories interesting and helpful as you grow your online business.

Thanks again,

Spencer

PS – If you know of anyone that might be a good fit for the job opening I have at Niche Pursuits, be sure to send them here.

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Success Stories

By Spencer Haws

Spencer Haws is the founder of NichePursuits.com. After getting a degree in Business Finance from BYU (2002) and an MBA from ASU (2007) he worked for 8 years in Business Banking and Finance at both Merril Lynch and Wells Fargo Bank.

While consulting with other small business owners as a business banker, Spencer finally had the desire to start his own business. He successfully built a portfolio of niche sites using SEO and online marketing that allowed him to quit his job in 2011. Since then he’s been involved in dozens of online business ventures including: creating and exiting Long Tail Pro, running an Amazon FBA business for over 3 years and selling that business, founding LinkWhisper.com, and co-founding MotionInvest.com. You can learn more about Spencer here.

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