The Interview

1. Where do you live?

I used to live in downtown Vancouver, BC. We had a massive office in the best possible location. I lived there for the last 10 years.

Recently, we moved out to the burbs when we decided to buy a dairy farm as a company. We turned 2 of the barns into an office and a gym.

We should have done this years ago.

2. When did you start creating content?

I started creating content 22 years ago a little after the web got going. Never looked back.

3. Are you a full-time Creator?

Yes and for 22+ years.

4. What was the “Click” that made you decide you can make full-time money online?

When I made more money than my teachers in high school. I knew the web is it for me at that moment. Nothing would get in my way.

I was told I would never make it by my math teacher. I made double his wage within a year. 

5. How many niche sites or online businesses have you created?

I lost count. I think 20. All (but 1) of them are generating revenue.

6. How many are you still running now?

All 20 and launching 5 more soon.

7. Have you sold any sites or online businesses? And what was the ROI like?

I’ve never sold any of my web assets. I keep them like I would keep real estate. There is zero incentive to sell if I can 10x them all. 

8. How many sites or online businesses have failed or not gotten going?

More than 20. I’ve tested countless ideas and websites to see what would work. If I can’t get anything going within 8 months, I drop the project.

9. How much are you earning each month?

• $100,000+

10. What are your current streams of revenue?

• Affiliate Sales
• Display Ads
• eCommerce
• I run actual businesses (including an agency) as well. These are our main revenue generators. The affiliate/display web assets are just gravy.

11. What are your Top 3 on-page SEO strategies?

1. I’ve started our own very large eCommerce website and accessibility by search engines has been an area I’ve excelled at (i.e. having some filters index on a category page). I’ve spoken about this on my blog.

2. I generate my own media with a team. It’s my on-page superpower because it ranks better than anything (Google and YouTube). An example could be a video about building a chicken coup. Our on-site farmer records himself building the unit and hands the video to the media team. They edit the video and send it to the content manager to publish. She paraphrases the video on a post. It also goes on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

3. Structuring a content piece is another strength of mine. For example, all DIY videos/posts get diagrams, illustrations, custom photos, and real professionals. No fake garbage. This increases my average on-page time to 3+ minutes for every single page. It’s incredible!

12. What’s the biggest issue(s) that you’re facing today?

People have always been my issue. Finding the right person to take on high-level work has always been an issue but we’re getting better at it.

Also finding manufacturers and distributors who see the bigger picture. Since it’s an issue, we might just become one.

13. What tool(s) do you rely on the most?

• Ahrefs
• Balsamiq
• Sitebulb
• Content King
• Advanced Web Ranking
• Screaming Frog
• SurferSEO

Probably more. I should audit my credit card.

14. What has been the biggest mistake you made?

The biggest mistake I’ve made in the past is relying on tools to dictate strategy. I would take a keyword research document to the media team and an engineer to run with.

Huge mistake and for years.

I let them run with pain points of the industry they work in now. They tell me pain points, then I research keywords and guide their process. 

15. What has been the best decision you’ve made?

The best decision I ever made was marrying the love of my life at 23. I didn’t wait.

That and the decision to always be uncomfortable with my profession. I constantly push myself to try new ideas and ways to step out of my comfort zone.

It might be because I am a product of refugee (political prisoners) parents who constantly reached for something better.

16. What’s one thing that you felt accelerated your journey the most?

Being poor as refugees. That affected me the most as a child. We had running water once a week at 3 AM on Wednesdays. I wasn’t allowed to go to school.

This was my life for 1.5 years.

It made me want to move fast.

No book, software, course, or strategy could accelerate a journey like despair and misery.

I knew at a very young age that I had to move and move fast. The western school system was too slow and when the web arrived, I had an in.

17. What’s your 12 month goal?

On a macro level, I would like to step back and focus on larger projects (SaaS and connecting with CEOs managing $100 million companies).

To do this, I need to hire my replacement which will not be easy.

18. How do you stay up to date on SEO, affiliate marketing, display ad, and other news?

Twitter and a few newsletters I subscribe to. Nothing else compares.

19. What do you eat or drink for fuel to keep going?

I eat a lot of steaks. All kinds. My favorite is wagyu and ribeye. I avoid sugar, grains, and gluten as much as I can.

For drinks, it’s just good old coffee, tea, and water. Nothing else. 

20. Where can people follow you?

Twitter is always best. I am not on any other social platform.

BONUS: Anything else you’d like to share that can help others?

You’ve asked 20 questions. We’re good 🙂