Notes from Chris

Episode 409

As an avid golfer, Jon Sherman spent many hours on golf-related websites and forums. He enjoyed the online community he discovered, but he was disappointed by the advice he found in forums, on blogs, and in videos.

After a couple years of digging through posts, he realized why. The majority of the advice was being given by swing instructors looking to boost their authority—not by actual golfers. Jon wasn’t just a golfer, he was a high-level, amateur player, and he knew he could write better, more valuable content than what he was seeing available online.

So, after being inspired by stories he’s heard of online businesses and niche sites, he started his own Wordpress blog, Practical-Golf.com. Since January of 2015, he’s been a sales agency manager by day and a golf writer by night.

In any given month over the next couple years, Jon would see his earnings range from $500 to $6,000, depending on the shopping season and any media coverage he received for his premium membership. It was a very nice side hustle especially when you take into account that he started it for next to nothing (his startup costs were around $100), but Jon wanted it to become more.

Fast forward another year of steady organic growth through intentional SEO. Practical Golf now averages 40-50 thousand unique monthly visitors and generates an incredible $5-8,000 per month of pure profit. Jon is nearing that point where he thinks he’ll be able to quit his job and be a golf writer and consultant full-time within the next two years.

Jon’s thrilled to be earning so much from his passion, but the bigger joy is in the community he’s created and the relationships he’s built over the last few years. “I’ve made tons of friends from around the world,” he says. “The online golf community is great!” He’s hit a hole in one with this project, and his driving ambition has served him well.

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Practical Golf: Take a swing at improving your golfing game over on Jon's blog!
• Wordpress: Jon used Wordpress to form his website for Practical Golf, and here you can learn how to install your own Wordpress site in 5 minutes
• The Complete Guide to Course Management & 101 Mistakes All Golfers Make (and How to Fix Them): The two ebooks that Jon published that expanded on the materials he discussed on his blog

SEE ALSO:

• SEO 101: If you're looking to launch your own online presence, here's a Beginner's Guide to SEO
• Rogue Financial Analyst Earns $34,000 from Golf Membership Site: After losing his job, moving to Thailand, and starting a new career, this former financial analyst creates a golf membership site that currently earns $2,800/month in recurring, passive income
• Excel Spreadsheet Guru Earns $3,500/Month: An IBM employee in India creates a series of Microsoft Excel tutorials, earning hundreds of dollars per sale

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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