| Majority
of the web sites that compose the millions of sites on the Web are operated
by enthusiasts and hobbyists. They create web sites to talk about, share,
and interact with like-minded individuals regarding their interests and
passions. Hence, you have sites about seashells, guardian angels, hamsters,
mind you, even octopus and anything under and including the sun.
article continues below...
However, after developing
thousands of web pages and attracting millions of users to the site,
hobbyists starts asking: "How can I now earn money from my site?"
Server and bandwidth costs increase as visitors pour in. Plus, as content
adds up through the months and years, they figure that it must be worth
something. Perhaps the site that they've nurtured through the years can
support itself (at the very least) or be a source of income.
 Darnell
McGavock started Soul Food Cookbook http://www.soulfoodcookbook.com),
a collection of recipes from the Black/African American, Jamaican and
Caribbean cultures, as a hobby but with a goal to turning it into an income
generating venture. Learn how Darnell was able to refocus his web site
SoulFoodCookbook.com from a hobby into a business:
Q: When and how
did you start SoulFoodCookbook.com?
I started the site in January of 1998. It was originally an extension of
my personal Home Page and did not yet have the SoulFoodCookbook.com domain
name. In May of 1999 I moved the site to the SoulFoodCookbook.com domain. I
moved it to a meaningful domain name to better compete with other cooking
sites.
Q: Why did you
start this site?
It was originally a way to help me (a single guy at the time) to learn
more about cooking and preserve recipes normally passed from person to
person. I also developed the site to make money, because I knew people would
continue to use the site. And, as was the thinking in the dot-COM-BOOM of the
late 1990's, everyone thought a site that is getting eyeballs would make money. So I
felt it would be a great way to make money and do something I would enjoy.
Q: What were
your expectations when you started this site? Was it simply a venue to
present, discuss and perhaps find like-minded enthusiasts, the subject that
you are passionate about -- soul food cooking? Or did you begin the site
thinking that this could be a way to earn money?
Both! Before making the site I was thinking of a money making web site I
could develop based on something I would enjoy. I had already created
another web site (Radioblack.com), but I never felt that site would make
much cash. So in coming up with the Soul Food website concept I intended to
make something that I and others could enjoy, but I also intended for the
site to be a money maker. I fully intended for the site's revenues to
surpass those of my other site.
 Q: How has your
site grown through the years? Give some milestones/achievements of the site.
Well I personally was happy when even 100 people a day began using the
site. To me that was a major accomplishment back in 1998. By January 1999
the site had won an award from an African-American search engine called
"Soul Search". It was one of their Top 10 sites in January 1999.
This award was meaningful because users of the site voted to have it in the
top 10. Which proved to me that users were enjoying the site. By July 1999
the site was the site of the week at the "Black Families" web
site. And then BlackFamilies.com (now a dead-.COM) was a major Black portal.
Recognition from that site and other major web sites used by
African-Americans gave the site some good brand recognition.
Q: How are you
marketing the site?
Currently, the site's high search engine rankings and word of
mouth promote the site. I used to buy targeted advertising on various web
portals and search engines until the site was popular enough and continue
its growth via it's own reputation.
Q: What are the
costs of running and maintaining SoulFoodCookbook.com?
The costliest recurring expenses are web hosting, advertising (when I
choose to advertise), the cost of goods sold, shipping and various bank
charges (for processing payments). Some other costs are for hardware like
printers, computers, CD-Burners and items of that sort.
Q: When did you
begin to take a hard look on how this site could earn? And what prompted
you?
I originally felt the site would make money off advertising and I wanted
to sell a book one day, but never moved on making a book till times got
tight. In 2001 advertising revenue was so low that I thought I would have to
shut the site down, unless I came up with another way to make money. That's
when I took a REALLY HARD LOOK at how to maximize the site's earning
potential.
Q: What revenue
models did you employ on your site? Affiliate program? Banner ads? etc?
Originally I only used advertising and affiliate programs. Then I later
developed a CD of recipes and after that an actual cookbook.
Q: What worked
best for your site?
Selling my own goods, namely the CD and cookbook have proven to be by far
the best way to generate revenue for the site. Now advertising and affiliate
program earnings are lesser methods to earn revenue.
 Q: Yours is a
content site. How are you leveraging your content?
By selling some of the site's content. Originally I used to show all the
recipes on the web site and not charge users a dime. When I needed to start
selling goods I needed to encourage users to buy and giving it all away was
not encouraging many people. So I pulled back about 20%-30% of the site's
content and then made it "CD Exclusive". Then I was only selling
the CD and for users to get all the recipes they had to purchase the CD. Now
the recipes are also in the cookbook. The cookbook was needed because when
you run a site named "Soul Food Cookbook" selling a cookbook is an
obvious must. It was simply easier and less costly to develop the CD first.
Q: What level
of success are you enjoying with the shift of your site's focus?
I will say it has proven to be a great success. I would have made the
changes sooner if I had to do it all over again.
Q: What advice
can you give a person running a small hobby site on how to turn the site
into a moneymaker?
Well first you need to be sure your hobby is something that the world
really enjoys. If so, people will pay money for it. (No matter if they say
they would never buy a thing on-line.) So even today, building up an initial
following is a good thing. Then depending on the site's content you have to
slowly make the conversion to selling some of it. Make a product or
subscription area that offers the site's content and more not available
elsewhere on the site. Then to encourage sales make some of the site's best
content part of that fee based product/service. Now is not the time to lose
personal money giving everything away to the world. There are enough dead-.COMs
and sites losing cash.
======
| 
