Our Journey is Your Journey

We didn’t get here overnight. Our journey began in April 2008. As luck would have it, we began our websites at about the same time and in the same city (Boston). In those first few weeks, we kept running into each other over blog comments and quickly realized we were in the same town — so we met for dinner.  That dinner turned into a more than two year professional and social friendship. During that same period, our websites have grown from having no readers to having a combined 200,000 + a month.

Christine and I (Matt) both wanted to do something more with life. Christine was unfilled with her Fortune 500 job and I had just returned from 18 months on the road and found the prospect of settling down unnerving. I was plotting  my escape from the get go. Both of us had dreams of traveling the world and writing about our experiences.  I wanted to write guidebooks. Christine wanted to write novels. We had hoped our websites would allow us to do that.

Then a funny thing happened. Our websites grew into a life of their own. We both have business backgrounds and had used our experience and knowledge to promote and develop our sites. But instead of them being an online resume for us, they became the business. They became their own platform and in the process we became the people others came to for advice.

It amazed both of us. That wasn’t the goal. Our goal was to have this website as side platform. It was just supposed to be a way to get writing jobs. Yet we marketed our sites more, we did guest posts on other websites, we expanded our sites to include photos, videos, job boards, and guides. And in the end, we wrote our own books.  Now, over two years later, we both support ourselves through our websites. Our websites bring in enough to support each of us so we can do what we love: traveling.

But even if your desire isn’t to travel, you can still create more time in your life. That’s why we do this. Having our sites gives us the time and freedom to pursue what brings us the most joy. We have no commutes, and cubicles, and offices, and over time. We can take 2 hour lunches or decide to spend the afternoon at a museum.

That’s why our journey is really your journey too. If we can do this, so can you. We are both FIRM believers that anyone can achieve success online. Whether you are running a travel website or a cat website, there are people out there. The internet allowed us to connect with thousands of like minded people we otherwise couldn’t have.  There’s audience for everyone.  Good content, a nice blog design, and a lot of networking will let you achieve success online, however you want to define it.

Christine and I focus on two different things. Her website is about escaping the 9 to 5 and working where you want. I give people tips on saving money on travel.  Yet despite our different topics, our similar strategy  allowed us both to achieve success. The topic doesn’t matter. The strategy does.

Let our journey be an example for you. We want you to achieve success too. With billions of people online, there’s enough internet for all of us. Let us help you join the party.

-Matt