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The Extra Money Blog Target Reader Revisited

When I first started this blog in July 2010, I wrote about the ideal reader of this blog. Because I had no visitor traffic back then, the post got buried in the archives and based on my recent analytics review, I did not see much activity related to the post.

That said, I have learned from the RSS subscriber data that the readership of my blog spans from individuals interested in basic personal finance, intermediate to advanced investing, real estate, internet marketing, blogging, niche websites, making money from home, working online, and a few other categories.

This tells me that there is a bit for a broad interest group on my blog. The overarching theme across all interest groups is the desire to earn more money. That is indeed part of this blog’s goal, the other being creating more freedom and flexibility to live life on your own terms.

The two can be related, although they don’t have to be. For example, you can leverage financial abundance to create the lifestyle you want, specifically by establishing multiple streams of income that are passive and residual in nature.

On the other hand, you can quit a six figure paying profession and work from home for a third of the salary but have all kinds of freedom and flexibility (i.e. lifestyle design).

I was reminded to clarify who my target reader is by a comment left on my blog by Jason on November 11, 2010. His comment was as follows:

This post seems to contradict your philosophy about making passive income. Some of these activities are far from passive. They involve a lot of time and work and are not passive by any means. I work a full time job and my understanding is that you come from the same background and are trying to help those like me who are in the same situation you were in. But let me ask you, would you have been able to do some of these top 10 businesses when you were working and traveling?

I responded as follows:

Jason – welcome and thank you for your observation. While I am a very big advocate of passive income, the 10 side gigs according to Ask Men certainly don’t all revolve around the passive model. However, there is much more to picking a side gig than just choosing one that is passive in nature. It comes down to personal preference and what one derives enjoyment from.

You are right – I do come from the same background and that is why I am able to relate well – at least I’d like to think so.

I would have been able to do some of these, and some not given my unpredictable and crazy traveling schedule back when I was a consultant. That said, there is something for everyone, and anything worthwhile is worth mentioning on this blog. You never know who is reading and can benefit from the message.

Who Is the Ideal Reader of My Blog?

The reader I had in mind when starting this blog is someone in exactly my situation. Because I often have ME in mind as the target reader, I can speak to the pain points and relate to others who are in my situation, have been there before or want to get there in the future.

This blog is intended for well educated, hard working and successful professionals who want more out of life. As I have often said, “more” could mean more financial independence and freedom to expedite retirement or, enjoy a higher quality one.

More could also mean the desire to achieve financial freedom to enable one to re-engineer their lifestyle, so they can enjoy life more (instead of slaving in the cubicle for years) and spend time doing the things they enjoy doing.

There are multiple other scenarios that apply. The ideal reader . . .

May like their job but want more on the side
May not like their job, but don’t want to quit because it pays very well, but want to establish a side business doing what they love and one that also generates cash
Would like more flexibility by working 4 days and having 1 day off a week with the intention to full transition away from the office job
Likes to take unpaid leaves of absence to travel because income from the side gig is kicking in nicely and therefore the full year’s salary from employment is no longer a necessity
Wants to create more streams of income in order to live the lifestyle they want (maybe a bigger house, nicer car, earlier retirement)
No longer regards money as the most important factor in determining the direction and purpose of their life

The last one is worth reiterating. At some point in a successful individual’s career, money stops becoming a factor, or at least as big of a factor as it was when starting out. Read my discussion on why this is true here.

Because the ideal reader of this blog has a successful career, he or she has discretionary cash that they are willing to invest to purchase the right tools that will help them achieve their objectives while maintaining their full time careers and keeping the stable cash flow coming in.

When you don’t have money to spend, the only option is to spend a lot of time and energy doing everything manually and by yourself. I am not saying you can’t do it the long and hard way. In fact I started out that way. What I am saying is that when you are a successful professional, one thing you don’t have much off is free time.

With just a small investment, you can save yourself the learning curve and all the effort and frustration that come with it. You can ensure that you can jump right into the thick of things. You WANT to invest that discretionary cash in resources that will enable you to create the free time, freedom, flexibility and financial abundance you are looking for.

That said, none of what I cover is a “get rich overnight” scheme. Succeeding at the various ventures discussed on this blog take a lot of preparation, careful execution, patience and persistence over time. This blog is not for the desperate, nor it is for those seeking to strike gold overnight.

So what if you only fit part of the requirement list? That’s completely fine. Like I said, I blog about topics that interest all kinds of readers. While this blog will most benefit my target audience, there is still a ton of valuable information that applies to other readers.

I encourage you to subscribe to my RSS feed to stay abreast of recent developments and discussions. I can guarantee you that sooner or later, you will see information that is not only very relevant to you as well, but also practical, actionable and one that will help you tremendously if applied.

In conclusion, I am glad that Jason posted his comment on my blog. It allows me to clarify the ideal reader of my blog for my readers once more, as well as reinforces my own sentiment about who should the reader of this blog be by typing my thoughts out aloud.

Do you fit the bill? If not, what topics would you like see discussed that can help you?

16 Comments

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16 Responses to “The Extra Money Blog Target Reader Revisited”

Full Disclosure says:
September 1, 2011 at 11:10 am
Great post Sunil! I am new to your blog but I clearly see myself as one of your ideal readers. The purpose of a blog is to share information with like-minded people and it seems as if you have done that well here. People like myself will always find good content so keep sharing the knowledge! I know I along with many others appreciate it!
Reply
- Sunil says:
  September 1, 2011 at 1:39 pm
  Thank you, that means a lot. You are absolutely correct – blogging is my way to share, collaborate and interact with those who I share “stuff” in common with. Looking forward to your stuff as well seeing as we share some similarities in our respective walks of lives.
  How did you find the blog?
  Reply
Joe says:
September 1, 2011 at 4:38 pm
Sunil,
Great post. I do fit the bill of your “typical” reader. I am successful at my full-time gig. I am attracted to your blog because it gives me the inspiration to work on my own side “gig”. There’s a couple reasons I want to do this. One is to diversify my income streams. So much is sai about diversifying investments, but nobody bothers with income streams. More importantly, however, I want to experience the satisfaction of creating something on my own and reaping the benefits of that creation.
Thanks for your hard work.
Reply
- Sunil says:
  September 1, 2011 at 5:46 pm
  Welcome Joe. You make a great point on diversifying income streams, which I think is more important than diversifying investments. You can find a million financial planners to diversify your investments for you, but not a soul who will help you diversify your income streams. Only YOU can do that. The satisfaction you speak about is invaluable. Good to meet you and please keep us all updated with your progress.
  How did you find the blog?
  Reply
  - Joe says:
    September 5, 2011 at 4:43 am
    Good question! I believe I caught you on a guest post a few weeks back somewhere and added you to my feed. Keep it coming!
    Reply
    - Sunil says:
      September 5, 2011 at 6:34 am
      Yup – 5,000+ readers later I am making a conscious attempt to ask how people are finding the blog. I suppose I can always visit Google Analytics. Glad to have you Joe – hope to interact more with you.
      Reply
Cassie | womenswaytowealth says:
September 2, 2011 at 4:03 am
Hi Sunil, thanks for a thought-provoking post. I’m in a similar niche and am going through a strategic planning exercise which has also raised issues around defining my target market. One question I’ve posed on one of the work at home forums is whether people start out to make money from their hobbies, or to start a home business. I feel the answer to this is a key part of understanding my niche and how I position my blog posts and content, my branding and “message”. Do you have thoughts on this from your blog’s perspective?
Thanks for a great site and blog!
Reply
- Sunil says:
  September 2, 2011 at 4:28 am
  Welcome Cassie,
  That’s a very good niche you are targeting. From years of side gigging and interacting with other side giggers of all sorts, I have found there are two types of groups. One group is those who are making a decent amount of money/income from what they are already doing but feel a void/lack they feel needs filled. These folks typically gravitate to ventures that allow them to monetize their hobbies.
  I have found that those interested in starting a home business first evaluate the income potential/viability of the business rather than whether the type of business fits their personal interests. Does that answer your question?
  How did you find the blog?
  Reply
Richard @ Lifestyle Design Unleashed says:
September 3, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Hi Sunil,
Having only recently discovered your blog I can say I fit reasonably neatly into your demographic. I have an unrewarding (but well-paid) job at the moment which I am sticking with to pay off all my debt. In my “spare time” I am working on a number of websites that are both based around my passions *and* earn a profit. The goal – by early next year (and it’s looking very likely) – is to be completely debt-free, at which point I can “downsize” my job to something I love to do, while my online income makes up the “shortfall” meaning a more satisfying quality of life without loss of income. Indeed, with no debt repayments to make I should actually have *more* cash to enjoy than I do now *and* a lifestyle I love.
All the best,
Richard
Reply
- Sunil says:
  September 4, 2011 at 6:06 am
  Welcome Richard. An excellent approach indeed to a more satisfying life. What do you do if you don’t mind sharing? How did you find the blog?
  Reply
  - Richard @ Lifestyle Design Unleashed says:
    September 5, 2011 at 11:44 am
    Hi Sunil,
    I currently run an 8-figure-a-year retail business (as an employee). It’s busy, it’s hard work, it’s stressful, I’m managing a huge team of people and yet I don’t feel I’m able to fully utilize my skills. I think I found your blog via a guest post you did at one of the many other blogs I subscribe to?
    Richard
    Reply
    - Sunil says:
      September 5, 2011 at 1:13 pm
      Retail is definitely “stressful” relative to other business models unless you have a truly unique competitive advantage (which most retailers do not). That said, it is relatively easier to learn IMO compared to other models. You buy, you sell, you reinvest and continue to roll the ball. Hopefully you are picking up some valuable knowledge that you can later utilize to benefit your personal bottom line more so. Let me know how I can be of help and all the best to you.
      Reply
Grady Pruitt says:
September 6, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Sunil,
I can relate to using yourself as the target audience. I started creating a “character” in my mind for who my “perfect” reader of my blog would be and the funny thing is… That character wound up looking an awful lot like the person I see in the mirror every morning. Strange how that works, isn’t it? 😀
Although initially, I kind of stuck to the “character in my mind”, but the more I continue, the more I just want to scream “Everything I’m writing, I’m writing to myself, because I know that I’m one of those most in need of what I’m writing.” Sometimes, I even come out and say it. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone in this feeling!
I look forward to reading more of your posts as I continue down my own personal journey building my success (and helping other build theirs) one block at a time!
Reply
Sunil says:
September 6, 2011 at 6:11 pm
Welcome Grady. So true that we know ourselves better than anyone else. And who better to talk to than people who are just like us who share the same passion and interests in life? Looking forward to interacting more with you. All the best.
Reply
Jeffry @ Belton Homes for Sale says:
September 26, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Sunil:
Great stuff. I particularly like and identify with the statement that money stops becoming the driving factor of a successful individual’s career. Unfortunately, it is still the driving factor in mine…
Reply
- Sunil says:
  September 27, 2011 at 3:08 am
  Welcome Jeffry – while it still is today, that may change 🙂 Looking forward to getting to know you better.
  Reply