59 Successful Bloggers Earning As Much As $8M/Year (2024)

Updated: June 21st, 2022

One of the best ways to make money online is with a blog.

Why?

  • They can be easily run by one person
  • Blogs require low maintenance
  • Lots of monetization options (ads, premium content, sponsorships)
  • You can capitalize on loads of traffic from Google search

We searched through our database of hundreds of case studies and found the most successful bloggers.

Here they are:

1. MarketBeat ($36M/year)

Matt Paulson (from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA) started MarketBeat about 13 years ago.

Revenue
$3M / month
Team
1 founders / 17 employees
Location
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA

Case Study

My name is Matt Paulson and I’m the founder of MarketBeat, a financial media company that empowers individual stock investors to make better trading decisions by providing objective financial information and real-time market data.

MarketBeat is expected to generate approximately $8 million in revenue in 2019 and end the year at about 1.3 million unique email subscribers.

how-i-started-a-36m-year-stock-market-research-newsletter

2. Proofread Anywhere ($2.4M/year)

Caitlin Pyle (from Remote) started Proofread Anywhere over 9 years ago.

Revenue
$200K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees

Case Study

Hello! My name is Caitlin Pyle, and I start Proofread Anywhere back in 2014. I help proofreaders earn extra income from anywhere in the world… even if you’re starting from scratch! I have two different courses: Transcript Proofreading, which teaches students how to proofread legal transcripts for court reporters. My second course is General Proofreading.

Before I started Proofread Anywhere, I was making $4,000 a month as a proofreader and I was convinced that was the most money I would ever make. Today I make an average of $200K a month! I wasn’t looking to just “make more money.” I simply focused on my passion of helping others find work-at-home freedom. Find a way to help others and your own business will grow also!

how-i-built-a-200k-month-business-selling-proofreading-courses

3. Wall Street Oasis ($2.4M/year)

Patrick Curtis (from Saratoga, California, USA) started Wall Street Oasis almost 18 years ago.

Revenue
$200K / month
Team
2 founders / 10 employees
Location
Saratoga, California, USA

Case Study

Hi, I’m Patrick Curtis and I’m the CEO and Founder of Wall Street Oasis, the largest online community focused on careers in finance.

The community has now reached over 100 million visitors over its 14-year history and is currently getting over 2 million visits per month.

from-getting-fired-at-24-to-growing-a-140k-month-online-community

4. Alpha Letter ($420K/year)

Jack Kerouac (pseudonym) (from ) started Alpha Letter about 3 years ago.

Revenue
$35K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees

Case Study

Thanks for having me on Starter Story. I can’t disclose who I am for professional reasons, but I started, run, and operate Alpha Letter and a few other financial media publications. Some people know me as Jack Kerouac. Others call me Anon. And then others call me by the dozen or so Twitter accounts that I have run in the past or currently running.

Today, all my properties collectively are bringing in around $30,000-35,000 in revenue per month.

how-i-leveraged-my-twitter-audience-and-launched-a-420k-year-finance-newsletter

5. Web Designer Academy ($504K/year)

Shannon Mattern (from Columbus, Ohio, USA) started Web Designer Academy about 9 years ago.

Revenue
$42K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
Columbus, Ohio, USA

Case Study

Hey there! I’m Shannon Mattern and I’ve helped over 15,000 new online business owners learn how to build their websites and market themselves online (even if they’re not a techie and are starting from zero).

And every month on my podcast I break down exactly how much money I make, how I make it and what my expenses are - because I believe it’s important to show the whole picture of what the opportunities and the costs are to run an online business!

how-i-started-a-10k-month-business-selling-diy-web-design-and-marketing-courses

6. Starter Story ($1.09M/year)

Pat Walls (from New York, New York, USA) started Starter Story over 6 years ago.

Revenue
$91K / month
Team
1 founders / 6 employees
Location
New York, New York, USA

Case Study
  • The most comprehensive interview about starting: Founder Interviews: Pat Walls of Starter Story.
  • A more personal side of the story: The Best Year Of My Life: In 35 Tweets.
  • More recent: How Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and $500,000 in annual revenue
  • Latest: 5 years building Starter Story # Read these first
  • The most comprehensive interview about starting: Founder Interviews: Pat Walls of Starter Story.
  • A more personal side of the story: The Best Year Of My Life: In 35 Tweets.
  • More recent: How Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and $500,000 in annual revenue
  • Latest: 5 years building Starter Story

7. ryrob.com ($420K/year)

Ryan Robinson (from Los Angeles) started ryrob.com about 12 years ago.

Revenue
$35K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees

Case Study

Thank you so much for having me! My name is Ryan Robinson, and I blog over at ryrob.com where I (now) mostly cover blogging & marketing related topics. I started taking my blog seriously back in 2014 (after it was originally born during a marketing class in college a few years prior), sharing my journey in building a freelance business—and it remained a side project for several years before I began working on it full-time in 2018.

That kind of side-by-side work was instrumental in allowing my blog to really reach its full potential, where I now see around 500,000 monthly readers and generate anywhere from $25,000 to $55,000 in revenue each month through a combination of affiliate partnerships, sponsorships, and the sale of my own digital products like courses and books.

how-i-started-a-blog-with-over-500k-monthly-visitors-and-generates-35k-month

8. Entrepreneurs on Fire ($2.42M/year)

John Lee Dumas (from Puerto Rico, USA) started Entrepreneurs on Fire over 11 years ago.

Revenue
$202K / month
Team
1 founders / 4 employees
Location
Puerto Rico, USA

Case Study

Heyo! John Lee Dumas (JLD) here, founder and host of Entrepreneurs On Fire, an award-winning podcast where I interview inspiring Entrepreneurs who are truly ON FIRE!

My goal from the very beginning: to inspire my audience, Fire Nation, to take their own entrepreneurial leap.

how-john-lee-dumas-grew-a-podcast-into-2m-year-business

9. Making Sense of Cents ($900K/year)

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner (from Living on a Sailboat) started Making Sense of Cents over 12 years ago.

Revenue
$75K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees

Case Study

Hello! My name is Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, and I run Making Sense of Cents, a personal finance and lifestyle website that helps readers earn more, save more, and live more.

I earn around $100,000 a month from Making Sense of Cents and have made over $5,000,000 from it over the years. Much of it is profit, as my expenses are extremely low. I am the only full-time employee of my business, but I do outsource some work. I have a virtual assistant, an editor, and a technical manager.

how-i-started-a-100k-month-blog-about-personal-finance

10. DollarSprout ($600K/year)

Jeff Proctor (from Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA) started DollarSprout over 8 years ago.

Revenue
$50K / month
Team
2 founders / 3 employees
Location
Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

Case Study

My name is Jeff Proctor, and I am the co-founder of DollarSprout.com, a personal finance blog geared towards millennials who are interested in making and saving extra money.

It took us over a year to start earning any meaningful revenue, but fast forward to today (4 years after starting), and DollarSprout is on pace for over $2M in revenue for 2019.

how-we-grew-our-personal-finance-blog-to-2m-year

11. Create and Go ($1.2M/year)

Alex Nerney (from Texas, USA) started Create and Go about 7 years ago.

Revenue
$100K / month
Team
2 founders / 0 employees
Location
Texas, USA

Case Study

My name is Alex Nerney. My business partner Lauren McManus and I started an online blog, two of them actually, that we were able to make a full time income from. We started out with building a health and fitness blog Avocadu. It seemed like a reasonable first niche to start in as I was a personal trainer at the time. After growing that blog to six figures a year Lauren and I decided to start Create and Go to teach others exactly how we did it and share our journey as professional bloggers with them.

The freedom we have experienced is indescribable, Lauren has been full time traveling for over a year, fulfilling her desires to travel the world. While I have been living my best life, marking things off my bucket list one by one. Including getting a motorcycle license, traveling to every state in the U S of A, and finally being able to eat strictly organic food and watch all the football games I can in a single weekend. We have had adventures and experiences we never imagined we would have.

they-quit-their-jobs-make-1-2m-year-with-online-courses

12. The Recording Revolution LLC ($1.2M/year)

Graham Cochrane (from Tampa, Florida, USA) started The Recording Revolution LLC over 14 years ago.

Revenue
$100K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
Tampa, Florida, USA

Case Study

My name is Graham Cochrane and I’m the founder of Recording Revolution, an online education company that teaches musicians how to record and produce their music to a professional level in a bedroom or home studio.

Right now I’m generating about $1.2M a year in revenue with virtually no ad spend and in working only 5 hours a week.

how-i-generate-1-2m-year-working-5-hours-per-week-with-audio-online-courses

13. Millennial Money Man ($1.8M/year)

Bobby Hoyt (from Houston, Texas, USA) started Millennial Money Man almost 9 years ago.

Revenue
$150K / month
Team
1 founders / 3 employees
Location
Houston, Texas, USA

Case Study

I’m Bobby Hoyt, former band director turned personal finance blogger and course creator. I teach millennials how to make more money, save more money, and pay off debt. I started my site, Millennial Money Man, while I was still teaching and paying off my student loan debt.

Last year we broke the seven-figure revenue mark through course sales, monthly recurring subscriptions from our coaching group, and affiliate sales.

how-i-started-a-88k-month-personal-financial-improvement-website

14. The Savvy Couple ($240K/year)

Kelan Kline (from Rochester, New York, USA) started The Savvy Couple over 7 years ago.

Revenue
$20K / month
Team
2 founders / 2 employees
Location
Rochester, New York, USA

Case Study

Hey! We are Kelan and Brittany Kline the founders and co-owners of the popular personal finance blog The Savvy Couple.

We are currently on pace to make over $250,000 this year alone with our personal finance blog!

how-this-28-year-old-couple-quit-their-jobs-and-make-20k-month-running-a-blog

15. PM-by-PM ($204K/year)

Praveen Malik (from Delhi, Delhi, India) started PM-by-PM about 8 years ago.

Revenue
$17K / month
Team
1 founders / 2 employees
Location
Delhi, Delhi, India

Case Study

In the year 2016, we had negligible revenue from the blog but the blog has grown substantially since then. Our average revenue is about $17K per month. Our gross profit margin is about 80% since we maintain a very small team and there are no physical products. Our target is to achieve 100% revenue growth by the end of next year.

how-i-started-a-17k-month-business-selling-project-management-ebooks-and-courses

16. The Modest Man ($48K/year)

Brock McGoff (from Tucson, Arizona, USA) started The Modest Man almost 12 years ago.

Revenue
$4K / month
Team
1 founders / 8 employees
Location
Tucson, Arizona, USA

Case Study

My name is Brock McGoff, and I run The Modest Man (TMM), a digital media brand dedicated to helping guys dress better and feel more confident, with an emphasis on the man of modest height.

In a given month, TMM generates $10-15k revenue from advertising brand partnerships, digital products (an e-book) and affiliate programs. Since there isn’t any inventory or “cost of goods” profit margins are very high.

starting-a-men-s-style-publication-reaching-a-million-people-per-month

17. Katie Did What ($180K/year)

Katie Reyes (from Sacramento, California, USA) started Katie Did What about 12 years ago.

Revenue
$15K / month
Team
2 founders / 2 employees
Location
Sacramento, California, USA

Case Study

Hi! My name is Katie and I am the person behind the lifestyle blog and personal brand, Katie Did What. Together, my husband and I operate a blog that averages 75,000 unique monthly visitors in addition to social profiles totaling over 125k aggregate followers.

I guess now the “proper” term for what I am is an “influencer” although I started this before that was even a word! Whatever it is, my husband and I have been able to do this, and only this, for the past few years and have been able to spend as much time as we want with our 3 kids. We’ve had 3 consecutive 6-figure net profit years and are well on pace again for 2020!

how-i-started-a-6-figure-net-profit-lifestyle-blog

18. Crowd Work News ($156K/year)

Sireesha Narumanchi (from Victoria, Australia) started Crowd Work News over 7 years ago.

Revenue
$13K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees
Location
Victoria, Australia

Case Study

Hi, I am Sireesha Narumanchi, founder of Crowdworknews.com. I help work from home enthusiasts in finding legit online jobs, side hustles and other extra income options.

What started as a side hustle has grown into a thriving business now generating 5 figures a month. But in true terms what feels more surreal or a measure of success for me is being able to reach so many people like me and help them break out of the ‘9-5’ race.

how-i-built-a-13k-month-blog-helping-remote-job-seekers

19. TrumpExcel.com ($120K/year)

Sumit Bansal (from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India) started TrumpExcel.com over 10 years ago.

Revenue
$10K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

Case Study

I am Sumit Bansal from India and I have a website (TrumpExcel.com) where I teach people how to use Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets efficiently. On this site, I create written tutorials and videos and also sell online courses.

I started this site in 2013 and it gets more than 1 million pageviews every month. As of last month, my average monthly revenue was ~$10,000.

how-i-started-a-profitable-business-helping-millions-of-people-learn-excel

20. Content Intelligence Media ($120K/year)

Thomas Oppong (from England, United Kingdom) started Content Intelligence Media almost 6 years ago.

Revenue
$10K / month
Team
1 founders / 2 employees
Location
England, United Kingdom

Case Study

I’m Thomas Oppong, an entrepreneur, and a full-time blogger. I am the Founding Editor at Alltopstartups.com where I share resources for starting and growing a startup. I am the Curator at Postanly.com, a weekly digest of the best resources on wealth, health, and happiness. I have also created and maintained two courses: Thinking in Models and Kaizen Habits.

I also maintain an active Medium account where I write about life lessons, personal development, and launching meaningful projects you deeply care about. I have been featured on Forbes, Business Insider, Inc. Magazine, The New York Observer, Huffington Post, and Entrepreneur. I earn about $10K/month from all ongoing writing projects at the moment.

how-i-started-a-10k-month-website-with-resources-for-entrepreneurs-and-startups

21. Cash Overflow ($120K/year)

Pardeep Goyal (from Chandigarh, India) started Cash Overflow almost 9 years ago.

Revenue
$10K / month
Team
1 founders / 7 employees
Location
Chandigarh, India

Case Study

I am Pardeep Goyal, founder of CashOverflow.com (Awarded as the best personal finance blog in 2017) where I help people in managing their financial life so that they can become financially independent and live a self-sustainable life.

I also sell online courses and help startups to setup zero budget content marketing.

how-i-started-a-10k-month-blog-about-banking-investment-products

22. Personal Growth Base ($120K/year)

Sinem Günel (from Vienna, Austria) started Personal Growth Base about 4 years ago.

Revenue
$10K / month
Team
2 founders / 0 employees
Location
Vienna, Austria

Case Study

I’m Sinem, 22 years old, based in Vienna, Austria and I’m an entrepreneur, coach, and writer.

On Medium alone, thousands of people are reading my stories about personal growth, self-fulfillment, and productivity every day, totaling more than 350,000 monthly views during strong months.

how-i-started-a-10k-month-personal-growth-advice-business

23. Mommy On Purpose ($120K/year)

Carly Campbell (from ) started Mommy On Purpose about 8 years ago.

Revenue
$10K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees

Case Study

I’m Carly, a full time stay at home mom, full-time blogger. I run two semi-related businesses - Mommy on Purpose, a mom lifestyle blog focusing on new motherhood and home life (monetized only through traffic), and Blogging Like You Mean It, which supports new bloggers in their journey to monetize their blogs (monetized only through product sales and email marketing).

But more important to me than any of that, I will never have to leave my kids in daycare to go out and work - my mom blog alone makes 8-10,000 Canadian dollars per month, both when I work hard on it AND when I take a month off.

how-i-started-a-10k-month-blog-about-motherhood

24. Effortless Gent ($102K/year)

Barron Cuadro (from New York, New York, USA) started Effortless Gent about 14 years ago.

Revenue
$8.5K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
New York, New York, USA

Case Study

I’m Barron and I run Effortless Gent, a men’s style publication focused on helping guys feel confident and look sharp in the clothes they wear.

EG generates on average $8,000/mo through a combination of ad revenue (display ads, brand sponsorships), affiliate revenue, digital products (an eBook and self-guided style improvement program), and 1-on-1 online or in-person styling consultations.

how-a-developer-grew-his-blog-to-150-000-visitors-per-month

25. FITnancials ($90K/year)

Alexis Schroeder (from Colorado, USA) started FITnancials about 11 years ago.

Revenue
$7.5K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
Colorado, USA

Case Study

Hey! My name’s Alexis and I run a personal finance blog called Fitnancials. I teach millennial women how to manage their money, save & invest more, and earn extra money with side hustles.

I currently have one product called Making Sense of Sponsored Posts in partnership with my sister Michelle, from Making Sense of Cents. I’ve created several free online products for women who want to pay off debt or make more money.

how-i-started-a-7-5k-month-blog-about-personal-finances

26. Leader Connecting Leaders ($71.9K/year)

Jodi Carlson (from Ohio City, OH, USA) started Leader Connecting Leaders about 10 years ago.

Revenue
$6K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees
Location
Ohio City, OH, USA

Case Study

My name is Jodi Carlson, I am a professional web designer, wife, and mom. I also run a successful profitable blog that all started from a hobby that started when I was 6 years old and said yes I want to join Girl Scouts.

Summertime is much slower for both traffic and sales, but I am working on new camping booklets that would be great for Summer Camp and hope to release in the next few months.

how-jodi-carlson-grew-a-niche-blog-to-6-5k-month

27. The Kavalier ($72K/year)

Jon Shanahan (from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) started The Kavalier about 9 years ago.

Revenue
$6K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Case Study

Recognizing the need for my own presence I put up my blog in early 2018 but still focused on putting out a video every weekday. I’ve grown steadily each year, doubling my subscriber count every six months to 57k currently. Revenue is increasing at a similar pace, today about $7,000 per month.

starting-a-youtube-channel-and-blog-making-6-000-month

28. Food Truck Empire ($64.8K/year)

Brett Lindenberg (from California, MD, USA) started Food Truck Empire about 10 years ago.

Revenue
$5.4K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
California, MD, USA

Case Study

My name is Brett Lindenberg and I started the mobile food entrepreneurship blog FoodTruckEmpire.com out of my one-bedroom apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2014. The first ever podcast recorded for the blog was with a hot dog vendor I found on YouTube. Fast forward to 2019 and I’ve now done over 100 interviews with food entrepreneurs.

In 2018, the website averaged $5,400 monthly. The website now gets over 300,000 page views monthly, has an email subscriber list of over 35,000 and continues to grow. We’ve been quoted in Entrepreneur Magazine, CNBC, and other media outlets over the years.

how-i-started-a-profitable-food-entrepreneurship-blog

29. Stray Curls ($54K/year)

Angela Mary Vaz (from Bengaluru, Karnataka, India) started Stray Curls ago.

Revenue
$4.5K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees
Location
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Case Study

Heya! My name is Angela and I’m the Creator, Illustrator, and Writer behind the blog Stray Curls. I help bright, young women build creative online businesses that stand out from the norm. My blog is unique because I use humor and hand-drawn illustrations to effectively communicate with my readers.

Currently, my favorite product is The Complete Roadmap to Building a Profitable Side Hustle. This eBook teaches people to set up an Online Business in which they can integrate their products, services and a little bit of themselves to create a profitable side hustle that brings in money on autopilot.

how-i-started-a-4-5k-month-blog-helping-young-women-build-creative-online-businesses

30. eBiz Facts ($50.4K/year)

Niall Doherty (from Waterford, Ireland) started eBiz Facts about 5 years ago.

Revenue
$4.2K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees
Location
Waterford, Ireland

Case Study

My name is Niall Doherty and I started a website called eBizFacts.com, where I try to help people make money online.

So far, it seems to be working, if this graph of my affiliate income is any indication.

how-i-started-a-4k-month-website-helping-people-make-money-online

31. Markeko ($48K/year)

Diego Rios (from Guatemala) started Markeko about 6 years ago.

Revenue
$4K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
Guatemala

Case Study

Hi! My name is Diego and two years ago I launched a blog called Markeko. I help people prepare, study and pass the Facebook Blueprint Certification exams through free study guides and paid practice questions.

I do have a full-time job at another company and am currently in the process of transitioning to Markeko full time.

how-i-started-a-4k-month-blog-that-helps-people-get-facebook-blueprint-certifications

32. My Curly Adventures ($48K/year)

Jessica Serna (from Texas, USA) started My Curly Adventures about 7 years ago.

Revenue
$4K / month
Team
1 founders / 2 employees
Location
Texas, USA

Case Study

Hello! My name is Jessica and I am the Content Creator, Blogger, and Influencer of MyCurlyAdventures which inspires people to travel more through finding exciting adventures close to home!

Through Instagram advertising, sponsorships, and affiliate income I’m able to make a living wage. Plus since I’m traveling so much many of my major expenses have been eliminated such as rent, food, clothing, beauty products, and obviously travel! So with everything I also get for trade that I don’t have to directly pay for, my income would be even higher.

how-i-started-a-niche-blog-and-quit-my-9-to-5-job

33. I should have said ($72K/year)

Bryn Todd (from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) started I should have said almost 2 years ago.

Revenue
$6K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Case Study

One day I was at the planetarium with my two sons, who were 4 and 6 at the time, and my older son commented to me that a picture of earth from space was ugly. I didn’t think much of it until another boy came up to me and told me that my son had said the earth looked ugly. I told him that my son was entitled to his opinion thinking it wasn’t a big deal.

At the time I was a stay at home mom doing web development projects on the side. I had previously started another web site but I found the writing tiring and I didn’t keep it up. Shortly after I started the site, I had to go back to work full time as my husband lost his job, so I initially only put in an hour a week on the site for the first few years.

how-i-created-a-profitable-blog-helping-people-defend-against-bullies

34. Entrepreneur Business Blog ($156K/year)

Emenike Emmanuel (from Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria) started Entrepreneur Business Blog over 7 years ago.

Revenue
$13K / month
Team
1 founders / 6 employees
Location
Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

Case Study

My parents told me that my name is Emenike Emmanuel. I’m the CEO of Entrepreneur Business Blog. In 2018, I was recognized as one of the top 100 social media marketing influencer to follow in 2019.

Currently, EntrepreneurBusinessBlog.com generates a monthly revenue of $1,500+ from those income sources I listed above.

how-a-young-entrepreneur-from-nigeria-started-a-profitable-blog

35. Mommy Enlightened ($36K/year)

Audrey Marshall (from Utah, USA) started Mommy Enlightened almost 6 years ago.

Revenue
$3K / month
Team
1 founders / 2 employees
Location
Utah, USA

Case Study

My name is Audrey and I am a blogger at Mommy Enlightened. This site is focused on giving new mothers advice on pregnancy, babies, toddlerhood, and motherhood in general. I started Mommy Enlightened with the intention of making money, but I genuinely wanted to give moms like me a place to find good information. A year after I started it, I realized the mother’s I wanted to reach were the ones who were struggling with their self-confidence, so this is who I write to now (when I write - I have a writer who I pay to write most of the content).

Since then, I’ve dropped back down to about 6k a month, but I have also minimized my virtual assistant work so I’m only working around 20 hours a week. Keep in mind, this amount is before taxes and expenses. Take home is probably closer to sixty percent of that. I only started my blog a year and a half ago, so I am a strong believer that you can succeed in an online business venture despite a lack of experience.

how-i-started-a-3k-month-blog-writing-about-motherhood

36. Wandering Aunt ($27.6K/year)

Robin Finney (from Dallas, Texas, USA) started *Wandering Aunt * over 4 years ago.

Revenue
$2.3K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
Dallas, Texas, USA

Case Study

Hello! My name is Robin Finney. I am a writer, international model, nomad, and founder of Wandering Aunt. I design and create solo travel and photoshoot experiences, lead souls retreats for people who wish to travel solo yet aren’t ready to do so on their own, offer intuitive card readings, and lead online workshops to support people in bringing their vision to life.

I officially began my business in July 2019 and it started to gain traction in December 2019. I took some time to really discover what it is that I want to offer and build as part of my brand. I attract clients who are wishing to gain more confidence in their life and discover their own unique essence.

how-i-started-a-1-8k-month-travel-business-while-traveling-around-the-world

37. SelectSoftware Reviews ($40.5K/year)

Phil Strazzulla (from Cambridge) started SelectSoftware Reviews about 5 years ago.

Revenue
$3.38K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees
Location
Cambridge

Case Study

My name is Phil Strazzulla and I run SelectSoftware. We are an expert online review site for HR software - basically the NerdWallet/WireCutter for all of the different HR software categories out there.

Over the past 3 months, the organic search traffic to SelectSoftware has been growing at around 30% per month, and in August 2019 we had our first month of revenues with a little over $1k/mo.

this-vc-taught-himself-how-to-code-and-is-bootstrapping-his-own-startup

38. CareerMetis.com ($36K/year)

Nissar Ahamed (from Toronto, Ontario, Canada) started CareerMetis.com over 8 years ago.

Revenue
$3K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Case Study

My name is Nissar Ahamed, and I am the Founder and CEO of CareerMetis.com.

Our current monthly revenue averages around $1000, and all of it is by me working on this part-time mainly as a side hustle.

how-i-started-a-1-5k-month-blog-about-career-advice

39. Seedtable ($60K/year)

Gonzalo (from Paris, France) started Seedtable over 5 years ago.

Revenue
$5K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
Paris, France

Case Study

My name is Gonz. My full-time job is Head of Growth at a company called Jobbatical. But early mornings, nights and weekends belong to Seedtable, my side project.

Most of my readers are investors, founders and employees at some of the best organizations in Europe – companies like Stripe, Transferwise, and N26; funds like Atomico, Point Nine Capital, and Entrepreneur First; and news outlets like Sifted and Tech.eu.

how-i-launched-a-1k-month-newsletter-covering-european-tech

40. Mandarin Monkey ($12K/year)

Tom (from Taichung, Taichung, Taiwan) started Mandarin Monkey over 7 years ago.

Revenue
$1K / month
Team
2 founders / 2 employees
Location
Taichung, Taichung, Taiwan

Case Study

We are Mandarin Monkey. We are Mandarin/Chinese content creators made up of myself (Tom) and my wife (Ula) Cain. We have produced 250+ videos on YouTube and as of writing this, 62 podcast episodes where we discuss various topics using both English and Chinese throughout. We also sell a phrase and grammar eBook, conversation packs (for Chinese study), T-shirts, accessories and Audiobooks. Oh and Teach in both group hangouts and private 1on1’s online.

Currently, our main product is our ‘hangouts’ where we facilitate group language exchanges using Google’s streaming video platform. As mentioned above we also package up and sell a bunch of other mainly digital products to help people learn. Currently searching for sponsors for the podcast and considering various pivots for the business.

on-starting-a-business-teaching-mandarin-chinese-online

41. Episode Ninja ($15.6K/year)

Steve Sanders (from Lisle, IL, USA) started Episode Ninja about 7 years ago.

Revenue
$1.3K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees
Location
Lisle, IL, USA

Case Study

Hello, my name is Steve Sanders and I’m the creator of a website called Episode Ninja. The primary goal of the site is to rank the “best” episodes of a given TV show.

Traffic to the website has been steadily growing since launch and is currently at more than 200,000 unique visitors per month.

how-i-built-and-monetized-a-website-side-project-ranking-tv-shows

42. Mrs Daaku Studio ($60K/year)

Chhavi Agarwal (from New Delhi, Delhi, India) started Mrs Daaku Studio over 5 years ago.

Revenue
$5K / month
Team
2 founders / 3 employees

Case Study

I am Chhavi, the founder and owner of the blog and YouTube channel Mrs Daaku Studio along with my husband Amit.

Our blog, YouTube channel, and products are designed to help you achieve what we have (...and, more).

how-this-couple-makes-5k-month-generating-content-about-ways-to-make-money-online

43. Tracie Fobes ($120K/year)

Tracie Fobes (from Raymore) started Tracie Fobes over 7 years ago.

Revenue
$10K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees

Case Study

My name is Tracie Fobes and I run a blogging education and coaching business.

There is no greater joy than doing what you love and seeing the money roll in.

how-i-started-my-10k-month-blogging-education-and-coaching-business

44. Write.as ($34.8K/year)

Matt Baer (from Washington D.C., Washington, D.C., USA) started Write.as about 9 years ago.

Revenue
$2.9K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees
Location
Washington D.C., Washington, D.C., USA

Case Study

Hi! I’m Matt Baer, founder of Write.as. We make digital tools that help creative people get their work online, from words to visual art. What we’re most after is building usable software that doesn’t kill your creative ideas (as notifications, feeds, and “likes” tend to do), to encourage free expression by giving you better privacy, and to make digital expression accessible to everyone.

Beyond our flagship tool, we’re building Snap.as, a minimal tool for sharing photos and galleries, and Submit.as, a submission management system made just for written content. Both of these products work perfectly with Write.as but are also useful on their own. Ultimately, this is what we’re building -- a suite of integrated apps that all share the same principles of simplicity, privacy, and respect for the user.

how-i-built-a-2-9k-month-focused-writing-blogging-platform

45. Moneypicks ($96K/year)

Tyler M (from Oregon) started Moneypicks over 4 years ago.

Revenue
$8K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees
Location
Oregon

Case Study

I am a 27 year old male from the South West United States. From an early age I was always fascinated with the idea of being an entrepreneur. My first business I remember making was creating a CD burning company in 2nd grade. Since then I was constantly brainstorming or thinking of ways to make a buck.

how-i-make-8-000-month-watching-sports

46. Warrior Lodge Media ($252K/year)

Wes O'Donnell (from Grand Haven) started Warrior Lodge Media over 10 years ago.

Revenue
$21K / month
Team
1 founders / 2 employees

Case Study

Hi, my name is Wes O’Donnell and I am the founder of Warrior Lodge Media, an all-in-one informational website for military and veterans, a film and TV production studio, and an eCommerce store.

The best part is that Warrior Lodge is almost completely “hands-off”, even the eCommerce vertical, and generates true passive income.

how-i-started-a-21k-month-military-and-veterans-media-company-and-ecommerce

47. Compelling Science Press ($0/year)

Joe Stech (from Louisville, CO, USA) started Compelling Science Press almost 8 years ago.

Team
1 founders / 0 employees
Location
Louisville, CO, USA

Case Study

Hi! My name is Joe Stech, and I'm the founder of compellingsciencefiction.com. I publish science fiction short stories, focusing on plausible science fiction.

This is a side project for me, so it doesn't have to make a profit, but it does pay for itself. I only publish two issues a year (summer/winter) and in those months we make ~$1500. All of that money goes back to paying authors.

turning-a-science-fiction-hobby-into-a-successful-side-project

48. Recruiterly, Inc ($12K/year)

Matthew Gibbs (from San Francisco, California, USA) started Recruiterly, Inc about 6 years ago.

Revenue
$1K / month
Team
2 founders / 2 employees
Location
San Francisco, California, USA

Case Study

I’m Matt Gibbs, the co-founder of Recruiterly. Recruiterly is a lead-generation platform and marketplace for recruitment professionals and businesses. We help increase the discoverability of top recruiting professionals which in turn improves the lives of job seekers and employers as they now have a way to find and connect with the recruiting partner for their specific needs.

We have just emerged from a 9 month period of extensive testing and only launched a couple of weeks ago, so we are below $1,000 MRR currently. We are in the process of starting to scale the platform.

how-i-went-from-recruiter-to-building-my-own-recruiting-platform

49. Failory ($12K/year)

Rich Clominson (from Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina) started Failory over 6 years ago.

Revenue
$1K / month
Team
3 founders / 0 employees
Location
Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Case Study

Until now, we haven’t made any money from Failory. But we are looking to do it in a near future. Our plans to monetize our project is with sponsorships and affiliate marketing on our email newsletter. But before starting doing this, we are trying to increase the community, launch new interviews and get more email subscribers.

he-built-a-profitable-website-dedicated-to-sharing-why-businesses-fail

50. Astute Actions Inc ($360K/year)

David Ning (from Irvine) started Astute Actions Inc over 15 years ago.

Revenue
$30K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees

Case Study

Hello! I am David Ning and run MoneyNing.com, a website that discusses anything about personal finance.

The numbers prove that the topic is popular too. MoneyNing.com is visited by 200,000 users a month, and that’s just the typical traffic numbers. The number is way higher in some months. People want to know how to manage their money wisely and will continue to do so forever.

how-i-started-a-30k-month-blog-about-personal-finance

51. Prosmartrepreneur ($114K/year)

Sayan Neogie (from Adra) started Prosmartrepreneur about 6 years ago.

Revenue
$9.5K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees

Case Study

Hi everyone, my name is Sayan Neogie and I am the founder and owner of a personal finance & entrepreneurship blog Prosmartrepreneur. I started this blog in 2018 while still being in college as a way to make money on the side.

Me being a full-time blogger was anything but obvious in my intended career path. I didn't even know what a blogger was until I was in college.

growing-a-personal-finance-and-entrepreneurship-blog-to-9-5k-month-and-160k-monthly-visitors

52. Arrest Your Debt ($42K/year)

Ryan Luke (from Phoenix) started Arrest Your Debt over 5 years ago.

Revenue
$3.5K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees

Case Study

My name is Ryan Luke and I am a Police Lieutenant for a large agency in Arizona. I started an online education business called Arrest Your Debt which is geared to help first responders get out of debt and start building wealth on any income.

I started to Arrest Your Debt two and a half years ago and have slowly built it up to bring in about $3,500 a month and growing. I also travel to other police departments to offer in-person financial wellness training for first responders.

how-this-police-lieutenant-started-a-3-5k-month-side-business-blogging-about-financial-education

53. The Modest Wallet ($102K/year)

Ricardo Pina (from Toronto, ON, Canada) started The Modest Wallet about 5 years ago.

Revenue
$8.5K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees

Case Study

Hello, my name is Ricardo Pina, and I’m the founder of The Modest Wallet, a personal finance website helping millennials make smarter money decisions.

Today, after almost two years of being in business, The Modest Wallet brings in an average of $8,500 per month in revenue and has amassed a following of more than 200,000 people across various social media channels.

this-solo-founder-grew-a-personal-finance-blog-to-102k-year

54. Financial Samurai ($360K/year)

Sam Dogen (from San Francisco, CA, USA) started Financial Samurai over 14 years ago.

Revenue
$30K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees

Case Study

My name is Sam Dogen, founder of Financial Samurai. Financial Samurai is one of the largest independently-owned personal finance sites with about 1 million organic visitors a month. Everything I write and publish is based on firsthand experience because money is too important to be left up to pontification.

After working in finance for 13 years, I decided to focus full-time on Financial Samurai in 2012. The site is 100% more fun to work on and takes 90% less time than working in banking. Financial Samurai generates well over $10,000 a month in passive advertising revenue.

i-left-my-13-year-career-to-start-a-120k-year-financial-advice-blog

55. The Ways To Wealth ($468K/year)

R.J. Weiss (from Geneva) started The Ways To Wealth over 7 years ago.

Revenue
$39K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees

Case Study

Hello there. My name is R.J. Weiss. In 2016, I created a blog called The Ways To Wealth. Our product is our content on the site, where we teach hundreds of thousands of visitors each month how to save and make more money.

The business earns over $30,000 in monthly revenue from a mix of affiliate and advertising revenue, with the caveat that I drive paid traffic to the site, so my margins tend to run rigger than other publishers.

how-i-started-a-30k-month-blog-about-saving-and-making-more-money

56. TSOH Investment Research Service ($192K/year)

Alex Morris (from Davie, FL, USA) started TSOH Investment Research Service almost 3 years ago.

Revenue
$16K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees

Case Study

My name is Alex Morris, and I run the TSOH Investment Research service. Before launch, I spent a decade working in the investment advisory (RIA) business as an equities research analyst. Years of experience in the RIA business helped me to see, firsthand, how much of finance is shrouded with a somewhat false sense of expertise, as well as the overwhelming influence of the advisors’ / investment managers’ incentives (retaining / growing AUM and sustaining a large recurring fee base), which leads to questionable long-term decision-making. With my service, I provide complete transparency into the investment philosophy, research process, and long-term outcomes of an experienced equities analyst and CFA Charterholder.

The research service has grown steadily over the past 13 months; as of May 2022, it now generates ~$17,000 per month in subscription revenues (after accounting for Substack’s cut).

i-created-a-substack-newsletter-that-makes-16k-month

57. Sustainably Chic ($204K/year)

Natalie Kay Costello (from Jacksonville, FL, USA) started Sustainably Chic over 9 years ago.

Revenue
$17K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees

Case Study

Hi! My name is Natalie, and I help people build conscious wardrobes through my blog Sustainably Chic. It’s the ultimate destination for everything in a sustainable fashion. From learning what it is to brands who produce it, you can find all of that information on my blog. Sustainably Chic is here to show you fashion can exist responsibly.

I make $6,000 per month, and Sustainably Chic receives around 60k monthly visitors.

on-growing-a-blog-about-sustainable-fashion-to-60k-monthly-visitors-and-6k-month-in-revenue

58. On Your Mark ($24K/year)

Mark St. James (from Vancouver, BC) started On Your Mark almost 15 years ago.

Revenue
$2K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees

Case Study

My name is Mark St. James and I started On Your Mark, a men’s travel, style, and skincare blog in 2008. The premise was vastly different in its infancy than what it is now, but the concept of providing honest, satirical writing and product reviews has remained the same.

My unique writing style and honest criticism of fashion have landed me on a slew of news outlets including CNN, CBC’s The National, Global News, and ET Canada to name a few. With 140,000+ fans, friends, views, and followers, I’ve managed to generate a monthly income of around $2,000 with peaks and valleys.

on-running-a-2k-month-men-s-travel-style-and-skincare-blog-since-2008

59. Grandmas House DIY ($24K/year)

Tarah Wolff (from Menahga, MN, USA) started Grandmas House DIY over 8 years ago.

Revenue
$2K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees

Case Study

My name is Tarah Wolff and I am the founder of the blog called Grandma's House DIY. We give inspiration and motivation for Do It Yourself projects outside and inside the home. Our readership follows us as we renovate and restore the grounds inside and around our 100-year-old farmhouse and, of course, of all the shenanigans we get up to along the way!

We prove every day that if we can do it, so can our readers! With total transparency on our failures and how we fix the places we “mess” up our readers really seem to appreciate one of our favorites slogans of, “Everything is fixable!” In a social media world of “perfect,” our candid blog is a breath of fresh air. Currently, our website is bringing in around $2,000 a month.

how-i-started-a-2k-month-diy-and-renovations-blog

meet the author
Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.