Helping entrepreneurs sell their websites idea → $350K/month

🏖️ Fun one-liner:

Why do entrepreneurs love storms? Because after every storm comes a rainbow of opportunities!

Onto Today’s story….

Justin Cooke and Joe Magnotti started an outsourcing company in the Philippines, helping U.S. businesses with various tasks.

When they lost one of their main clients, they had to find a way to fill their team's hours.

They discovered a solution and turned Empire Flippers into a $350K/month business.

Here is how he did it.

The journey with Empire Flippers started differently.

Both Justin Cooke and Joe Magnotti began an outsourcing company,

in the Philippines that helped U.S. businesses with various administrative tasks,

such as data entry, customer support, and social media management.

One time, they lost one of their main clients, and they had to find a way to fill their team's hours.

That's when they discovered the niche site market.

Niche sites are small websites that focus on a specific topic.

They are usually heavily informational, answering questions like "How do you stop snoring?" but can also include product reviews.

Most niche sites are monetized through Google AdSense, Amazon's affiliate program, or a combination of both.

Justin and Joe had their staff start creating micro niche sites monetized with AdSense.

They blogged about the entire journey and soon began selling the sites they made.

Although they had a lot of success, they also experienced their fair share of failure.

However, they succeeded more often than they failed.

When they started selling the websites their team created, they discovered something interesting.

Many people in their audience who also had niche sites approached them, asking if they could sell their websites in exchange for a commission.

This was the moment when Justin and Joe realized the potential of this idea and rebranded their company to Empire Flippers,

diving into the brokerage field full-time.

Empire Flippers' launch was relatively simple – they initially started as just a blog.

They wrote about how they built micro niche sites for a few months and then began sharing their experiences selling other people's niche sites.

Soon, they added a rudimentary marketplace to their blog where they publicly listed deals for sale,

connecting people who wanted to sell their online businesses with those who wanted to buy.

When people submitted their business to Empire Flippers,

they charged a $297 first-time listing fee to weed out potential tire-kickers and cover some of the man-hours that went into vetting the businesses.

Once a business went live on their marketplace, Empire Flippers marketed it, and their team of business analysts began negotiating with potential buyers.

If the business successfully sold, Empire Flippers took a cut of the sales price, ranging from 8% to 15%, depending on the size of the business.

One of the secrets to Empire Flippers' success is their transparency.

While other brokers are often secretive about their actual numbers, Empire Flippers shared both their successes and failures on their blog, which people found refreshing and relatable.

To grow their business, they relied heavily on content marketing.

They published case studies, polished testimonial videos, and success stories featuring their buyers.

They also created SEO-focused articles to attract organic traffic and developed middle-of-funnel content for people who were already aware of their services.

Joe says this is something most content marketers don't do, but it can be incredibly powerful.

To attract people through content, they published controversial topics,“Breaking news” articles and Data-driven stories of real people who sold their business.

By focusing on these types of content,Empire Flippers was able to attract a highly engaged audience and

establish themselves as trusted leaders in the niche site and online business brokerage space.

They also sought feedback from customers, even when it was harsh and painful, and used it to improve their service.

Joe says “My best advice is to consider your company as a media company.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a local plumber, a furniture store owner, or a SaaS founder.

Almost every niche can benefit from having a media mindset with their content marketing.”

Empire Flippers continued to grow and is making $350k/Month.

Joe says..

“My best advice is you shouldn’t care if you fail and you shouldn’t care if you succeed. The only thing that matters is you simply do.”

9 reasons why he succeeded

1. The right Pivot

• Justin and Joe's outsourcing company lost a main client, leaving their team with idle time.

• They discovered the niche site market and had their staff create micro niche sites monetized with AdSense.

• They bet on the niche sites and it worked!.

2.Blogging about successes and failures transparently

• Empire Flippers blogged about their entire journey of creating and selling niche sites.

• They shared both their successes and failures openly, which people found refreshing and relatable.

• This transparency helped build trust with their audience and set them apart from secretive competitors.

3.Discovering opportunities through their blog audience

• When Justin and Joe started selling the websites their team created, their audience approached them to sell their own niche sites.

• This feedback revealed a new business opportunity in the website brokerage space.

• Listening to their community helped them identify and capitalize on a promising new opportunity.

4.Rebranding to focus on a niche

• Justin and Joe rebranded their company to Empire Flippers, focusing solely on the website brokerage niche.

• By targeting a niche, they could better position themselves as experts and attracted the right clients.

5.Starting simple and iterating gradually

• Empire Flippers initially started as just a blog sharing their experiences.

• They gradually added a rudimentary marketplace to connect website sellers and buyers.

• This iterative approach allowed them to test and refine their money making model over time.

6.Embracing transparency in a secretive industry

• While other brokers were often secretive about their numbers, Empire Flippers openly shared their successes and failures.

• This transparency set them apart and helped build trust with their audience.

• By being relatable and honest, they attracted clients who appreciated their candid approach.

7.Focusing heavily on content marketing

• Empire Flippers relied on content marketing to grow their business, publishing case studies, testimonial videos, and success stories.

• By featuring real-life examples, they attracted potential clients and built credibility in their niche.

8.Creating SEO-focused and middle-of-funnel content

• Empire Flippers created SEO-focused articles to attract organic traffic from search engines.

• They also developed middle-of-funnel content for people already aware of their services.

• By catering to different stages of the customer journey, they could engage and convert a wider audience.

9.Seeking customer feedback even if it hurts

• Empire Flippers actively sought feedback from customers, even when it was harsh and painful.

• They used this feedback to identify areas for improvement and refined their service.

🍩

Hope you liked the story and the strategies which made them successful.

Keep Rocking!

Yours “Anti-Stress” Vijay Peduru