By way of introduction
By Jon | June 16, 2008
OK, firstly, I am certainly no ‘guru’. There is a hell of a lot I have yet to learn before anyone could pin such a label on me… Not that I want to be labelled as such, by-the-way.
Amongst other things, I run a network of niche directory sites, all focussed on the UK market. As is so often the case, I sort of stumbled into my career path. Back in 2001, just for fun, I set-up a database of modern jive organisations (a bit like West Coast Swing in the US). Sort of like a directory, but also listing a calendar of events and class information, the site was totally free for the organisations to advertise on. UK-Jive quickly established itself as a leading resource in its field and gained a large, loyal user base.
Although the site gets loads of visitors (around 25 - 30k uniques / month), it was never really set-up as a commercial enterprise, so has never monetised particularly well. OK, yes, it does earn some money – around £6,000 last year, but not a lot taking into account the time I’ve spent developing it.
Back in 2004, I realised I had business model that I could develop and turn into a commercial success – I was convinced of it. My target, to have 10 web sites, each earning £10,000. So, I stopped taking on new client jobs and spent the next 6 months developing my own custom directory system.
In June 2004, UK-Disco was born. By December 2005, UK-Disco was (and still is today) the largest dedicated directory of mobile DJs in the UK.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve continued to develop my directory system and build a network of niche sites. Today, my directory business takes-up a significant chunk of my time and requires the services of a part-time admin assistant (who started work today!) to keep on-top of the workload.
The future?… Who knows! I feel 2008 is an exciting time for me. There are lots of projects in the pipeline and opportunities to pursue. I am partularly looking forward to making contact and hooking-up with the seriously clever guys who’ll be attending Think Tank 2008 in San Diego.
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Hello World
By Jon | June 15, 2008
Welcome to my little corner of the Internet.
Why have I set-up this blog?… Hmmm, good question! For me, I never think writing comes naturally – In fact, sitting here trying to organise my thoughts is quite a challenge!
Up until now, I’ve pursued my online vision single-handedly. I’ve made lots of mistakes, learned from a few of them and continue to bumble along, occasionally stumbling on an idea or method that actually works.
I think I could / should work smarter.
The answer I was told by my father-in-law… Networking. As I write this now, this suggestion is blindingly obvious – no rocket science here! However, at the time, I had my head down, furiously running round my ‘hamster wheel’ and getting nowhere very quickly.
Last year, I joined my local Chamber of Commerce group. It’s been great from both a social and business viewpoint, however I’ve yet to meet anyone else who earns their income through Internet marketing.
So, this blog is my first small step in my online networking adventure. I am very much looking forward to making new contacts and learning from some real gurus in the business.
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