How We Built a 7 Figure SEO Agency in Less than a Year
Hello. It's Tim.
Be sure to go outside today.
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Digital Commerce Partners is the content marketing and SEO agency from me, Brian Clark, and Jon Nastor.
Ready to level up? Click here to see if we are a good fit.
1. How We Built a 7 Figure SEO Agency in Less than a Year
Last week, I got a reply to my newsletter from a reader who asked me "What is Digital Commerce?" I've mentioned the business a few times and haven't given much context as to what it is.
Digital Commerce Partners is a content marketing and SEO agency that works specifically with SaaS founders and creators who want to sell digital products.
This business has been a great success story for me, and is yet another example of why agencies are such great business to start.
In this article, I will walk you through the process of how we started Digital Commerce and how we grew it to a $1,000,000 company is such a short amount of time.
2. How to Make $5000 from an Email List With Only 1000 Subscribers
Many of you know that I have always been very critical of media businesses who monetize through ads.
When you make money through ads, you're incentivized to get as much traffic as possible, which means you quickly replace quality for clickbait. I call it "The Buzzfeed Effect."
However, Ethan is starting to show me many examples of media brands making a ton of money with relatively small audiences. It's all about understanding your KPI and your return to advertisers.
I never thought I would say this, but I am starting to change my mind.
Click here to listen on iTunes and here to listen on Spotify.
3. Welcome to The Bootstrapper (Subscribers Only)
You want to know something that bothers me?
When founders brag about how much money they raised.
Every time I see a press release about another company raising another round of funding, I want to barf.
When did raising money become cool? You know what's cool? ... MAKING MONEY.
It's so important for you to start generating your own streams of income. The world is changing fast, and you don't want to be left holding the bag.
4. Intentional Life Design
Speaking of Corey Wilks, he is putting together a cohort for people who are ready to create intention and direction in their lives.
Corey worked for years in the addiction treatment space as a counselor, and so he and I have always seen the world through a similar lens.
If you're feeling stuck or "in a rut", I hope you'll consider reaching out to Corey.
You can also click here to follow him on Twitter.
5. The Single Biggest Reason Why Startups Succeed (Or Fail)
Bill Gross is a legend. He's weird and nerdy and obsessed with testing. His business, Idea Lab is a brilliant company doing great work for important causes.
After starting hundreds of companies, Bill decided to look through all his data to discover what makes startups succeed and fail.
He found the answer, and it's probably not what you think.
6. The Value of Judgement
April 18th 2022
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I've been meditating on this tweet for days. Judgement is knowing the long term consequences of your actions. But the only way to learn that is to make mistakes. Making mistakes is the byproduct of lack of judgement.
Judgement is like fitness, it can't be faked and it must be earned.
7. Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
This piece by Jonathan Haidt is thoughtful, articulate, thought provoking, and important. It's very much worth the long read.
We are at a "Towe of Babel" moment in western society. Will the tower fall?
This article is a great magnifying glass on how delicate our new world really is.
I can't recommend it enough.
8. Children Without the Internet
April 18th 2022
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My favorite discovery of the week. I watched this video on repeat probably ten times. The way the woman loses it with laughter at the end is always what gets me. I hope to god I can get my son to hop around in a rice sack and a giant helmet one day.
9. Infinite Resources
I spend life walking a tightrope of optimism and pessimism. Some days, I look at what we do the the planet, to each other, and to animals, and I feel utter disgust and doom for our species.
Other days, I see such beauty in humanity and I dream of how much more we can do.
This article made me think. It's making me rethink my views on many areas and reassess my beliefs.
10. Final Thought - "Real Community"
How many times have you heard people on the internet talk about "community?"
I'm a believer in the concept, as I have personally seen and developed many online communities that have all been beneficial, honest, authentic, helpful and inspiring. I've seen only good things come from communities.
However, the idea of community has been changing for me. Why?
Because of the YMCA.
Last month, Jules and I discovered that the local YMCA has a childcare program. We've been going to the gym every morning and having an hour to exercise, talk, bond, and set the tone for the day.
A funny thing happened that we didn't expect. It turns out, there are other people who do the same thing.
Every time we drop the little man off, or pick him up, we run into another couple with a kid looking to make friends.
Without trying, we've met a couple who invited us to a photography exhibition in a local theater called The Exit In. Another couple introduced themselves to us, and I even took down the husbands phone number so we can get coffee or get the kids together.
Suddenly, Jules and I are noticing other people in our neighborhood. We're stopping to say hi at the people we walk past in our afternoon walks. We're talking about introducing ourselves to people.
Covid tricked us into thinking that online communities could supplement in person communities. But they can't, and they never will. Without even trying, Jules and I have become 10X happier in the last month. Suddenly, Nashville doesn't suck so bad and suddenly, gratitude for the moment is more easily absorbed.
I'm grateful for you all. I love the Twitter friends, I love the email replies I get each week from my newsletter. But don't get it twisted.
The internet doesn't provide hugs. Hugs are important.
Love you guys. Talk to you next week.
Tim