Alternative living tips and income strategies for nomads.

In 2017, Kristin stumbled upon an article about Michelle Schroeder-Gardner's blog, Making Sense of Cents. In it, she learned that Michelle was making $100,000 per month through blogging.

This got her interested in the idea and she started researching more about it. As a former journalist, Kristin has always enjoyed writing and interviewing people.

Being in the media, she was aware that stories about alternative living were gaining a lot of traction and hence, she decided to start a website where she could interview nomads and publish articles about their lives, living in vans, buses, and boats.

Thats how she embarked on the journey of creating her own blog.

Kristin purchased hosting from Bluehost and followed the steps to install WordPress. Then, she got to work designing with Divi and created the best website she could.

The entire expense of launching her business was probably around $50.

An email list was her primary customer acquisition channel. She used Convertbox to create a variety of opt-ins for my website and build her emailing list.

She also invested time learning SEO and focused on creating articles that rank on Google. Her top keywords include:

• Turning a school bus into a camper
  
• Shipping container homes for sale
• Tiny house 10000 euro

Online courses teaching aspiring bloggers to monetize travel content.

Shelley, a former travel magazine editor, started a travel blog after leaving her corporate job.

In just two years, she became a six-figure blogger and taught others how to achieve similar success.

Through her courses and blog, Shelley has generated significant income and plans to continue expanding her business and creating more courses in the future.

Shelley choose WordPress as her content management system due to its popularity and extensive use across the web. Her websites are hosted on Lyrical Host, and domains are purchased through NameSilo, ensuring reliable service and ownership.

For website optimization, she uses Rank Math for SEO, WP Rocket for page speed, and Short Pixel for image optimization, which helps in maintaining a fast and SEO-friendly site.

For creating and selling courses, Shelley chose ThriveCart for its payment processing capabilities, offering a cost-effective, one-time payment solution. She creates course content using Canva Pro for presentations and Loom for recording, ensuring high-quality, engaging material.

Additionally, she sources stock photos from Canva and DepositPhotos and uses Canva for promotional materials, maintaining a consistent and professional look across her content.

Email marketing is managed through ConvertKit, which integrates with ThriveCart for seamless product and service sales via email.

Finally, she uses Affilimate to track and analyze affiliate marketing data, calling it the "Google Analytics for affiliate data," which underscores its value in her affiliate marketing strategy. Shelley’s approach is a comprehensive and well-thought-out combination of tools that facilitate content creation, optimization, marketing, and sales.

Her main customer acquisition channels have been organic searches and organic social media. she has invested in SEO to ensure her blog ranks for relevant keywords such as:

• Travel Mexico solo
  
• Safest places in Mexico
  
• Puerto aventuras uber

Shelley also started a Facebook Group called Affiliate Marketing for Travel Bloggers, which grew to 1,200+ members in five months.

Short-term storage marketplace for urban travelers.

Cody Candee, the CEO and co-founder of Bounce, came up with the idea for his business after experiencing the problem of carrying luggage while traveling and the inconvenience it caused. He wanted to create a solution that would allow people to store their belongings easily and eliminate the burden of carrying them around. After sitting on the idea for three years, Cody launched Bounce with his co-founder Aleks in 2017, and the business quickly gained traction, reaching over $100k of annualized revenue within the first 7 months.

Aleks and Cody Candee, the founders of Bounce, began the development process by creating a basic landing page for bag storage and delivery in New York City within just three hours. They used a simple landing page builder and integrated Adwords to attract their first customer almost immediately, illustrating a lean startup approach. Initially, they physically fulfilled requests by biking around New York, but soon realized that the logistics of coordinating exact times and places were impractical. To solve this, they shifted to a model where customers could drop off and pick up their items at designated "Bounce locations," which were local businesses with extra space. This iteration allowed them to simplify logistics greatly. They set up this new version quickly, building the core functionality in about three weeks. For their mobile applications, they utilized React Native, which enabled them to simultaneously launch on both iOS and Android platforms, streamlining their development process. This intense and rapid development approach, however, came with challenges as they struggled to balance speed with product optimization, especially since the mobile app development temporarily detracted from enhancing the existing web platform.

Google Search

Bounce attracted a significant number of customers through Google search right from the start. People frequently searched for "luggage storage," a popular keyword, which naturally aligned with Bounce's service offering. While they didn't focus heavily on SEO in the beginning, the organic demand for luggage storage solutions helped them grow.

Why it worked: The inherent demand for luggage storage meant that potential customers were already actively searching for Bounce's services. By having a web presence that matched these searches, they naturally captured attention and bookings without needing extensive SEO strategies.

Referrals

A substantial portion of Bounce's customer base came from referrals by satisfied users. This type of word-of-mouth promotion proved invaluable, bringing in new users who heard about the service from others who had positive experiences. Although they initially hadn't formalized a referral program, the natural referrals demonstrated the product's desirability.

Why it worked: Happy customers become ambassadors, sharing their experiences with friends and family. This organic referral process spoke to the trust and satisfaction users had in Bounce, making it one of the most effective ways to gain new customers without any additional marketing spend.

Advertising

Bounce utilized paid advertising, including Google Adwords, which allowed them to quickly gather traffic and customers even when they were just starting. This targeted approach helped them reach potential customers who were searching for similar services, providing a quick boost in visibility and engagement.

Why it worked: Paid advertising, particularly on platforms like Google, reaches users who are already searching for related services. By investing in Adwords, Bounce ensured they appeared in front of a relevant audience, leading to direct bookings and increased brand awareness.

Personal Need and Frustration:

• The idea for Nomad List sparked from Levels' personal desire to escape the 9-5 grind and work from anywhere in the world.
• Many of his other projects originated from personal needs or frustrations. For instance, he created Remote OK because he saw a gap in the job market for remote positions, aiming to make it easier for individuals to find remote work opportunities globally.

12 Startups in 12 Months Challenge:

• In 2014, Levels set himself the challenge of launching 12 startups in 12 months.
• This experiment wasn't just about building businesses but about learning rapidly, understanding the market, and identifying what works and what doesn't.
• This challenge led to the creation of several projects, including Nomad List.

Desire for Autonomy and Freedom:

• Levels has always been motivated by a desire for autonomy, freedom, and the ability to work from anywhere.
• This personal philosophy has driven him to create platforms that empower others to do the same, by providing tools, resources, and communities that support a location-independent lifestyle.

Solving Problems for Digital Nomads:

• He recognized the unique challenges faced by digital nomads, such as finding the best places to live and work remotely.
• Levels sought to address these issues through his platforms, creating a suite of tools and resources that cater specifically to the needs of this community.

Automation and Minimalism:

• He is a proponent of automation and running lean operations.
• This philosophy has not only influenced how he builds and manages his businesses but also what kinds of projects he decides to pursue.
• He focuses on creating efficient, automated systems that require minimal ongoing maintenance, allowing him to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Tech Stack:

PHP: For server-side scripting to generate dynamic page content.

JavaScript: To create interactive elements on the website, enhancing user experience.

jQuery: A JavaScript library used to simplify HTML DOM tree traversal and manipulation, as well as event handling and animation.

Leveraging Existing Data:

He started by compiling data on various cities around the world, focusing on factors important to digital nomads like cost of living, internet speed, and climate.

This data formed the foundational content of Nomad List.

Crowdsourcing for More Data:

Understanding the power of community, Pieter incorporated mechanisms for users to contribute their own insights and updates about different locations, enriching the database with real-world experiences.

Automation from the Start:

To manage the growing platform with minimal manual intervention, Pieter implemented automated processes for tasks such as data updates, user submissions, and content moderation.

Rapid Development and Deployment:

He emphasized quick development cycles, pushing out features and adjustments rapidly to test ideas and respond to user feedback. This agile development process allowed for continuous improvement based on actual user needs and behaviors.

Minimalist and Functional Design:

The initial design focused on usability and speed, ensuring that users could easily access the information they needed without unnecessary frills.

SEO Optimization:

From the outset, Pieter paid attention to search engine optimization, ensuring that content was structured and tagged in a way that made it discoverable to those searching for digital nomad-related information.

His approach to growing his businesses, particularly Nomad List and Remote OK, can be outlined through a series of strategic steps and philosophies he adopted over time:

Launch with Public Interest – Pieter launched Nomad List in 2014 by publicly sharing his idea on Twitter, generating initial interest and feedback even before the site was officially live.

Rapid Iteration – After launching, Pieter quickly iterated on feedback, making constant updates to Nomad List based on user suggestions and needs.

Transparency – From the early days, Levels built trust by being highly transparent about his revenues, costs, and the challenges he faced.

Community Building – Recognizing the importance of community, Pieter integrated community features into Nomad List, such as forums and Slack groups.

User Experience Focus – A significant part of his strategy was focusing on the user experience, making his websites fast, accessible, and easy to use.

Automation and Efficiency – Pieter automated as much of his workflow as possible, allowing him to operate his businesses efficiently as a solo founder.

Direct Engagement on Social Media – He used social media not just for marketing, but for direct engagement, answering queries, and joining conversations.

Leveraging Data for Decisions – Pieter made use of the data collected from his sites to make informed decisions about new features, targeting, and improvements.

Save an extra chunk of your annual income with tax-savvy strategies.

The idea for Savvy Nomad started when my co-founder, Jameson, was traveling in Morocco and met a group of Californian surfers who had been living abroad for years but were struggling with the complexities of the U.S. tax system. Jameson, with his background in accounting and experience in tax-free Nevada, saw an opportunity to help expats and digital nomads legally reduce their tax burden.

While I didn’t come up with the original idea, my journey to Savvy Nomad was shaped by my experience founding Taxarity, a startup focused on making taxation transparent and client-friendly through digitalization. My vision was to build a global marketplace where people could compare and seamlessly move between tax regimes with automated paperwork.

Because of my previous experience, I immediately saw the clarity of its value proposition—a service that directly helps nomads establish a legal tax residency in no-income-tax states without unnecessary complexity.

Instead of overcomplicating things, I focused on scaling, refining the offer, and optimizing pricing to create a profitable, sustainable business.

Now, Savvy Nomad generates $30K/month, helping hundreds of expats legally optimize their taxes while embracing location independence.

Failing at Taxarity was one of the best lessons I could have had—because it led me to build something that truly works.

The first step was researching existing solutions, and quickly realized that while there were options for full-time RVers and retirees, there was nothing built specifically for digital nomads and expats. That was our green light—we saw a clear gap in the market.

SavvyNomad started with around $15,000 in initial costs, and honestly, $13,000 of that went straight into legal fees and research. Since we’re dealing with tax residency and compliance, we had to make sure everything was airtight.

From day one, the business model was subscription-based, and it’s still the same today. It just makes sense—tax residency isn’t a one-time thing, so offering an ongoing service was the best way to provide real value while keeping revenue predictable.

We bootstrapped everything using our savings, which gave us full control over decisions without outside pressure. For building the product, we used Bubble for the application and Framer.com for the website, which helped us move fast without needing a full development team.

It took us three months to launch the first version, not because of technical challenges, but because of the crazy amount of legal details we had to sort out. We started with South Dakota, since it was already popular for tax residency, and later expanded to Florida, which offered even more benefits for nomads.

Honestly, it was harder than we expected—not because of the tech, but because of all the little nuances about residency and domicile laws in different states. But looking back, all that work paid off.

Our main growth channels have been SEO and Google Search Ads. These two bring in the majority of our customers, and over time, we’ve refined them to be highly efficient and scalable. We’ve also experimented with other strategies like influencer marketing, video content, and affiliate partnerships, but so far, these only make up a small percentage of new customers compared to search traffic.

One of our most successful strategies has been tapping into an unmet demand. Initially, our core focus was helping nomads establish domicile for tax savings, but we discovered that many Americans abroad needed a reliable U.S. residential address. We created a new landing page, ran targeted Google Search Ads, and it immediately took off. Now, it’s one of our main growth drivers, and we’re spending around $8,000 per month on Google Ads. This worked because we found a high-intent search market where no one else was running ads, allowing us to dominate the space with little competition.

Another major driver of growth has been content. I’ve personally written over 110 articles covering state residency, tax strategies, and U.S. expat taxation. I focused on deeply researching each topic and used LLMs to speed up the process while ensuring the content remained clear, practical, and easy to read. Most tax-related content is full of legal jargon, making it difficult for the average person to understand. Our articles stand out because they are written in a straightforward way, are well-structured with visuals to explain concepts, and go deep into specifics that people actually need.

The biggest lessons from growing the business have been the importance of building scalable acquisition channels early, listening to demand and adjusting accordingly, and understanding that high-quality content can drive long-term growth if done right. Initially, we didn’t plan to offer U.S. residential addresses, but when we saw the demand, we launched fast, and it became a major success. Writing detailed, well-researched content took time, but it has now become a consistent driver of traffic and leads.

Now, with SEO and paid search as our foundation, we’re continuing to scale and grow.

Adventure hiking planning with digital guides and GPS mapping.

We came up with the idea for TMBTENT after hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc in 2017. Most hikers on this famous trail stay in mountain huts, but we opted to camp to save money. Once we were back, we realized there was a huge gap in information for hikers who wanted to camp on this trail and that we could provide a resource with all the information others needed to camp on the trail.

We started our website shortly after that and six months later we were selling a digital guide to the trail. We started with a super simple PDF ebook to prove out the idea, and when that started selling well we added more and more resource to the guide.

From there, we've added other trails and continued to refine our product!

Here are the exact steps we followed to build the first version of our product:

1. Started a WordPress site (www.tmbtent.com)
2. Wrote a series of blog posts related to camping on the Tour du Mont Blanc.
3. Once those started gaining some traction on Google, we created a PDF ebook that outlined camping locations on the trail.
4. We used a super simple WordPress plugin (now defunct) that let us sell ebooks directly from our site and collect payment via PayPal.

We spent only about $100 that first year, mainly on website set-up and some software costs to be able to create some simple map graphics for our guide.

Overall, it took us about six months to get to the point of selling our guide, and it quickly became apparent that people were willing to pay for the information. We sold the first version for $2.99 - a ridiculous price looking back on it, but something that quickly let us prove the concept.

Since then, we've moved our guides over to Podia, so every customer gets a login and can access not only a PDF guide but also GPS files, video overviews of the hike, tutorials on how to use GPS files on their phone and more. We also charge a much higher price point, typically between $36-$44 depending on the trail.

It was definitely a labor of love to pull the guides together, but we love planning trips and helping other with complex logistics of hiking some of these trails. And as a bonus this side project helped fund more hiking trips for us!

The table of contents from our very first PDF guide.

Growing the business really focused on SEO and adding more trails to our guide offerings. We also added content on our site related to camping, hiking, and other outdoor pursuits that we didn't sell a guide for, but that attracted some good traffic to our site.

That worked for a long time and got us on Mediavine, which was a great revenue source, but times have changed with the HCU and Google updates proving difficult to navigate.

Now we are focused on getting more in depth on specific trails with some new websites and hoping to develop some online tools to help hikers plan their trips.

Social media will be a big focal point for us going forward as well, as we have had almost no presence to date - a big mistake!

Flight disruption compensation service for non-English speakers.

Olga, a Slovakian first-time entrepreneur, founded Flywize after realizing during her first flight that most travelers are unaware of their compensation rights, costing them €8 billion annually. Leveraging her background in Airport and Aviation Management, she helps secure €20,000 to €30,000 monthly for passengers affected by flight disruptions.

The first product was built as a digital service using low-code website builder tools. Initially, Olga created a prototype using Wix after participating in the BSEEN university program, which provided her foundational business knowledge and mentorship. The first version required about €500 in upfront costs: €200 for Wix, €100 to hire a freelancer from Fiverr (likely for technical or design help), and €200 for trademark registration and minimal marketing. After an initial self-made prototype, Olga hired a team of freelancers to professionally build the website, due to dissatisfaction with the first attempt. The development process from initial concept to full working version with coders took roughly seven months. A major challenge was the founder’s lack of experience in project management and technical product development, which slowed progress and led to a steep learning curve in assigning tasks and managing a remote freelance team.

Word-of-Mouth & Referrals Most early growth came from helping the first 100 users for free, who then recommended the service to friends and family. After this, new clients continued to come primarily through personal recommendations, without formal marketing efforts. Why it worked: Providing a highly valuable service with strong results created trust and loyalty among customers, who then organically referred others needing similar help.

Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) From the beginning, Flywize used Facebook to inform their personal and extended networks about the service. In recent efforts, the company increased activities on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn by sharing videos and posts explaining passenger rights, aiming to reach new audiences. Why it worked: Social media allowed for low-cost, direct communication with potential customers and leveraged network effects, especially important for a solo founder with limited resources.

Friends & Personal Network Early outreach involved personally telling friends about the service and having them spread the word, acting as the primary distribution channel in lieu of a formal launch. Why it worked: The founder’s trusted network provided credibility in a market where users are often skeptical or unaware of their rights.

Kristan de Graaf leveraged his passion for luxury cars, tourism, and the sea to launch Elite Rentals Dubai with inherited money. By analyzing market gaps and investing $50 million, Kristan and his co-founder Julian now generate $12M per month from their fleet of over 50 yachts.

The founders started by investing $50 million, which primarily went toward acquiring their first fleet of 10 luxury yachts (each averaging $5 million) in Dubai. After the purchase, they outsourced recruitment to bring on experienced yacht captains, engineers, deck crew, and hospitality staff, ensuring operational readiness and a high-end onboard experience. No custom manufacturing or technical product development was required—the business began with direct acquisition of assets rather than inventing a new class of yacht or technology. The timeline to reach a functional first version was shaped mostly by yacht acquisition, staff hiring, and training, which introduced delays—particularly in onboarding and staff preparation. Key challenges included assembling a reliable luxury-focused team and adapting quickly to the service standards expected in Dubai’s tourism sector.

Partnerships with Luxury Hotels and Car Rental Services The company targeted high-net-worth tourists in Dubai by collaborating with luxury hotels and local car rental businesses, distributing brochures and custom offers directly to visitors on site. Why it worked: These partnerships connected them directly with travelers seeking premium experiences and led to early, high-value bookings.

Google Ads (PPC) They invested in Google Ads to quickly generate online leads and test website performance, resulting in 17 bookings in the first week of active marketing. Why it worked: Paid search campaigns delivered immediate visibility and traffic from people actively searching for luxury yacht rentals in Dubai, speeding up initial customer acquisition.

Instagram & User-Generated Content (UGC) Their Instagram presence and active encouragement of user-generated content leveraged visual appeal and client testimonials to grow credibility and attract new customers. Why it worked: Aspirational content and positive reviews on social platforms resonated with luxury travelers, boosting brand reputation and driving organic inquiries.

SEO & Content Marketing After shifting focus to SEO, the company’s organic website traffic grew from a few hundred to 10,000 monthly visitors. They hired a dedicated SEO team, consistently published optimized content, and secured first-page rankings for key terms like “Dubai Yacht Booking.” Why it worked: Targeted SEO brought sustained, high-quality, intent-driven inquiries at a lower cost over time compared to paid channels.

Women-led travel tours for solo female adventurers.

Mar Pages, along with her business partner Meg, grew Solo Female Travelers from a small Facebook group in 2015 into a million-euro travel platform by 2023. Despite launching their tours amidst the pandemic, their emphasis on women-led, women-focused travel resonated deeply, propelling them to 300 guests across 14 destinations with unwavering organic growth.

The founders began by curating tour itineraries that aligned with both their mission of empowering women and the travel interests of their established community. With international borders still largely closed due to COVID-19, they selected Tanzania and Iceland as the first destinations based on both appeal and feasibility. The process involved direct outreach to local, often female-owned, travel operators—leveraging a simple email pitch about launching women-only tours at a time when the industry was otherwise quiet—enabling access to local expertise and buy-in from suppliers interested in new opportunities.

They used their daily exposure to community insights, feedback from their first Solo Female Travel Trends Survey, and their own extensive travel experience to design the initial tours. Operationally, the build phase relied heavily on digital collaboration tools (Google Drive, Docs, Calendar, Gmail, WhatsApp, and Canva) since the founders were geographically distributed and built the business remotely. The first iceland and Tanzania tours were piloted, tested with real guests, and followed by an 8-month iteration period to improve the product based on learnings before expanding further. Notable challenges included lack of prior tour business experience, but this allowed them to innovate freely, and the pandemic's industry disruption provided unusual access to local partners.

Facebook Community They leveraged their early, large Facebook group (growing from 15,000+ pre-pandemic to over 150,000 at tour launch) as a primary source of leads by announcing new tours in the group and engaging members with ongoing moderation and discussion. Why it worked: The community already trusted the founders, leading to high engagement and a steady stream of highly qualified prospects for their tours.

Newsletter They built and maintained a newsletter with over 70,000 subscribers and nearly 50% open rates, seeded via group membership questions and website sign-ups, and sent it consistently twice weekly. Why it worked: Regular, personable content kept the audience engaged and top-of-mind, driving both bookings and repeat customers (with a 30% repeat rate).

SEO & Content Marketing They created and published detailed travel guides and resources on their website that ranked for high-intent solo female travel searches, drawing about 100,000 monthly website visits. Why it worked: Strong organic traffic from search and informative resources funneled visitors to tour offerings without significant ad spend.

Media Coverage & Annual Survey They proactively pursued press mentions—via HARO, direct journalist contact, and by publishing their own Solo Female Travel Survey, which became an industry reference—resulting in regular media appearances. Why it worked: Authoritativeness from original data and consistent media exposure established credibility and surfaced the brand to new audiences searching for expert-led women’s tours.

Customizable online registration and payment management platform.

While working as a Fulbright scholar at Berkeley, Asaf Darash pondered creating a meta-programming application with unlimited variables and outcomes for non-programmers. Realizing the high demand for customizable onboarding and payment systems, he founded Regpack, which now boasts 31 employees and over $800k in monthly revenue.

To create the initial version of Regpack, the founder worked closely with a UI designer based in Israel, iterating nightly on interface sketches and user experience flows. The actual development involved a small, collaborative engineering team, using video conferencing, Asana for task management, and frequent code reviews to align technical execution with the planned designs. Much of the problem-solving was handled through direct communication, sometimes using pen-and-paper sketches shared over video calls rather than relying solely on advanced tools. The team faced significant complexity in building a system with almost unlimited customization and no fixed constants, resulting in long days and frequent late-night work. It took about six months of continuous iteration and refinement to create a working prototype; one persistent challenge was balancing the creative ambitions of designers with the technical realities of software development and the need for system consistency, leading to repeated code review cycles and detailed problem-solving.

Word of Mouth & Referrals Satisfied early users recommended Regpack to other organizations, especially within service and education verticals. Why it worked: Strong referral activity enabled the team to grow an initial user base with minimal spend and high trust, leveraging satisfied clients’ networks.

SEO Regpack invested significantly in inbound marketing by creating optimized content around keywords relevant to onboarding, payments, and registration, which consistently drove qualified leads to their site. Why it worked: Targeting high-intent, industry-specific queries allowed them to attract organizations actively seeking customizable registration and payment solutions.

Partnerships with Associations They established connections with industry associations, enabling exposure to targeted member networks who needed time-and-place based registration tools. Why it worked: Association partnerships put Regpack directly in front of decision-makers in its core markets and boosted credibility through industry alignment.

Travel blog sharing budget-friendly adventure tips.

Agness and Cez, the founders of Etramping, started their business in 2011 as a personal site to share budget travel hacks for backpackers. Their passion for travel and their own experiences of backpacking on a tight budget drove them to share their knowledge and help aspiring adventurers explore the world. Since then, Etramping has grown into a thriving community, offering unique itineraries, travel hacks, budget tips, and buying guides for travel gear. With consistent content, strategic partnerships, and a focus on their audience's needs, Etramping has attracted and retained a loyal customer base.

The first version of Etramping was created in 2011 by Cez, who was a beginner to web development at the time. He chose Joomla as the initial platform due to its flexibility and capacity for building a community-focused travel site with blogging functionality. Cez relied heavily on free online resources, forums, and tutorials to learn the basics and assemble the first prototype, allowing Agness and other travelers to contribute stories. The process involved significant trial and error but resulted in a functioning site within the first year. A key challenge was the founders’ inexperience with web development, which led to slow, incremental progress and multiple site iterations before eventually migrating to WordPress for better usability and content management.

SEO
They prioritized search engine optimization early, publishing consistent blog posts focused on budget travel, unique itineraries, and travel gear guides. Their efforts led to reaching an average of 30,000 to 80,000 monthly page views and at peak, up to 500,000 monthly page views.
Why it worked: Targeting specific travel keywords and maintaining a regular publishing schedule helped them steadily grow organic traffic and capture users actively searching for travel advice.

Guest Posting and Content Collaborations
They regularly submitted high-quality guest articles to other travel sites and invited fellow bloggers to contribute on Etramping, sharing these collaborations across social media.
Why it worked: This amplified their reach via exposure to new audiences, generated natural backlinks, and fueled further organic growth without paid link-building.

Brand Partnerships and Product Reviews
By proactively reaching out to brands via email and social channels, they established relationships that led to sponsored content and reviews of travel products.
Why it worked: These partnerships enriched site content, built trust with their audience, and introduced additional monetization streams via affiliate programs.

While brainstorming with a friend who had just entered the equipment rental business, Lenny's lightbulb moment arrived: mobility scooters. Intrigued by the unique niche and low competition, he built a website, generated interest quickly, and now, part-time, earns $5K/month.

The founder began by building the company's website using the GoDaddy website builder, focusing on a modern design to stand out from local competitors who mostly had outdated websites. To inform the website content, he researched competing scooter rental businesses and added his unique perspective. No physical product was purchased initially; instead, he waited to see if there was demand by tracking inbound calls and inquiries through the site. Only after receiving early interest did he buy a couple of top-of-the-line Pride mobility scooters, paying about $500 each. The entire process of building the website and testing for demand took a few months, and the main challenge was deciding whether to commit to the business before making upfront investments in equipment.

SEO & Google My Business The business quickly ranked on Google after launch thanks to its professional website and an optimized Google My Business page, resulting in customer calls within a few months. Why it worked: Local competitors had weak online presences, so a better site and good local SEO made the business easy to find for people searching for mobility scooter rentals in the area.

Soliciting Reviews The founder actively encouraged customers to leave reviews on Google, boosting the business’s local search visibility and credibility. Why it worked: Positive reviews improved search rankings and established trust for new customers seeking reliable rentals.

Yelp Listing A Yelp listing was created to supplement Google presence and attract users searching for mobility solutions on that platform. Why it worked: Many travelers and tourists look for local services through Yelp, so this helped drive additional leads without significant extra work.

Tailor-made cultural and wildlife safaris across East Africa.

Augustin Ndikuriyo, the founder of Augustine Tours, came up with the idea for his business when a client at the hotel where he worked asked for recommendations on travel companies in Burundi. Unable to find any options, Augustin saw the opportunity to fill the gap in the market and launched Augustine Tours in 2010. Since then, the company has grown to generate an impressive monthly average of €50K, offering unique safari experiences in East Africa that go beyond traditional tourism.

Augustin Ndikuriyo built the first version of Augustine Tours with very limited resources, using $1,500 in savings and an old Dell laptop. The development process involved learning web development and online marketing, primarily through self-study, since there was no budget for outside help. The initial website was built on Joomla, a free, open-source CMS. The first tour products were basic sightseeing itineraries that included transportation, hotel bookings, and entrance fees, all coordinated by negotiating deals with hotel and car rental partners; Augustine Tours did not own vehicles at first. Building the first working version took about three months, during which time Augustin operated from coffee shops and hotel lobbies without a dedicated office or internet connection. The main challenges included a lack of experience in itinerary design and the absence of a tourism ecosystem in Burundi, which forced creative negotiations and extensive networking with local service providers.

Website SEO & Blogging
Augustine Tours prioritized SEO by writing blog posts and building backlinks for their website, which became the company's primary sales channel from the start.
Why it worked: Travel planning is often initiated via online searches, so ranking for relevant keywords continually brought in high-intent leads.

Networking & Partnerships
Augustin attended trade fairs and business meetups, which led to direct contracts with large organizations such as the US Marine Corps for Europe/Africa, US Embassy in Bujumbura, and Nokia Network Systems. These B2B deals boosted turnover and provided recurring, reliable revenue.
Why it worked: Face-to-face networking built trust in a market new to local tour operators and created opportunities for referrals and larger contracts.

Google Ads
Paid Google Search Ads were used to target international clients, resulting in a 4.13% click-through rate in 2022 and a 45% increase in sales.
Why it worked: Search ads directly targeted motivated, high-spending travelers researching East Africa tours, yielding measurable conversions.

Guest Posting & PR
They published sponsored and collaborative educational content on third-party travel sites and magazines to reach a wider audience.
Why it worked: This boosted brand credibility and drove referral traffic from locations where affluent travelers seek recommendations.

Matthew Davison, the founder of Travel Tractions, came up with the idea for his tourism-focused marketing agency after scaling his previous travel startup to over 500,000 page views a month. He saw an opportunity to help other travel businesses achieve similar results and launched Travel Tractions as a productized service agency, focusing on SEO content and audits before expanding into other services like social media, PPC, and web builds. Despite facing challenges during the COVID pandemic, the company has rebuilt and grown to a monthly revenue of $35k, with a focus on client retention and a predicted triple-digit growth in 2024.

The founders developed Travel Tractions' initial service-based product by focusing on creating productized SEO content and audit services specifically for the tourism industry. The first version involved building standardized processes and systems inspired by the E-Myth Revisited, enabling repeatable delivery of SEO and marketing solutions. Tools like Google Sheets streamlined operations, while Ahrefs became central to their SEO offering, and Asana templates facilitated project management. An early challenge was training new hires, addressed by developing internal courses on SEO content writing and website optimization, which allowed for onboarding people with little or no prior experience. The move from ideation to a working service took several months, iterating on procedures and training until they could deliver consistent, scalable results with minimal back-and-forth needed.

Word of Mouth & Referrals Early growth was driven by referrals from industry friends and satisfied clients, quickly compounding as successful projects led to new introductions and recommendations. Why it worked: Personal credibility and results made it easy for partners and clients to trust and endorse Travel Tractions, reducing the need for outbound sales.

Conferences & Partnerships Attending industry conferences helped secure initial anchor clients and created direct opportunities to build long-term partnerships, including working with event speakers who later referred additional clients. Why it worked: Face-to-face networking accelerated trust-building and visibility in a niche market, which in turn opened new doors quickly.

SEO Although initial rankings took time, Travel Tractions invested in long-term SEO by producing content, guides, and acquiring backlinks, eventually making inbound organic leads a reliable acquisition channel. Why it worked: Establishing expertise and ranking for relevant queries meant that travel businesses looking for marketing services could discover and self-select the agency, resulting in ongoing high-quality leads.

Affiliate Program They also implemented an affiliate program that contributed up to 10% of clients over time. Why it worked: Incentivizing existing contacts to refer new business provided a low-friction, scalable referral mechanism.

Travel gear brand catering to adventurous backpackers.

Raj Mahal, founder of PlanMoreTrips, came up with the idea for his AI travel app after founding his previous company, TRVL MORE, and gaining expertise in the travel industry. His deep knowledge of frequent flyer miles from his travel blog allowed him to monetize his content through affiliate revenue, and he later enrolled in a coding boot camp to develop the skills needed to create his own app. Despite facing setbacks with his previous startup, Raj's passion for travel and desire to inspire others led him to launch PlanMoreTrips and continue his entrepreneurial journey.

After returning from his backpacking trip in Asia, Raj Mahal began building TRVL MORE by leveraging his firsthand experience of travel gear needs. He sourced initial samples from AliExpress, focusing on creating a travel gear bundle despite tight budgets and logistical constraints. The prototype was not a single product but a collection of travel essentials like luggage locks and travel adapters, which allowed him to test the market without extensive capital. Starting with these samples, he faced challenges typical of bootstrapped entrepreneurship, such as navigating manufacturing overseas and ensuring product quality without significant resources. The initial design and concept phase transitioned into manufacturing as he visited the Canton Fair in China, leading to a successful backpack prototype. This entire process from conceptualization to a working prototype took about a year, showcasing the determination and ingenuity required to turn an idea into reality with limited financial leverage.

Amazon Ads

TRVL MORE heavily relies on Amazon ads, investing around $300,000 a year. This channel is highly effective because it targets customers who are actively searching for travel accessories. The conversion rates are high due to the intent of the audience shopping on Amazon, which results in a steady stream of sales.

Why it worked: Advertising directly on Amazon connects the product with potential buyers at the point of purchase intention. The specificity and direct purchase capability of Amazon ads lead to a high conversion rate, making it a reliable income stream.

Customer Service & Reviews

TRVL MORE has implemented a no-questions-asked lifetime warranty on its products, which has been instrumental in attracting and retaining customers. This policy has led to numerous 5-star reviews, enhancing customer trust and increasing sales through positive social proof.

Why it worked: Superior customer service and a strong warranty lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Positive reviews act as endorsements, boosting credibility and persuading new customers to purchase.

Product Differentiation

Initially, TRVL MORE noticed that competitors were only offering black luggage locks in single packs. By offering locks in multiple colors like bright orange and various pack sizes, they catered to diverse customer needs that were previously unmet by competitors.

Why it worked: Offering differentiated product options tailored to actual travel needs addressed a gap in the market. This strategy not only satisfied an existing demand but also helped the brand stand out from its competitors, leading to increased market share on platforms like Amazon.

Media Coverage and PR

Media coverage, especially from mainstream outlets like The New York Times, played a significant role in boosting TRVL MORE's visibility. The unexpected feature in these outlets provided significant credibility and exposure, leading to increased brand awareness.

Why it worked: Being featured in reputable publications brings a level of authority and trust that is hard to achieve through other marketing channels. This kind of exposure can quickly widen an audience and attract new customers who are influenced by the publication's reputation.