2008
Would You Have Sold This Blog?
Posted by Jason in Daily RamblingToday morning I woke up to a very interesting email… one from a web development company that showed an interest in purchasing this blog. I will not go into much detail of who they were, as that would not be right, but anyways… they showed a strong interest and wanted to purchase at $5,500 and go up to $6,000 if I stayed on for a month after that as a writer.
$6,000 USD is quite a lot of money – I did need to think about it for a while, however I eventually decided to say no and stay on blogging for the rest of my readers. Do you think that was the right decision, or was the decision the dumbest one I’ve ever made so far?
I personally feel it was justified – here’s why:
1) I don’t want to see this blog divebomb.
After you’ve put in time and effort into something, you don’t want to see it fail… even if you don’t own it anymore. While I’m sure the new owners would have good intentions for the blog, I’m not sure whether it would be to put the readers first, and their pockets second, or vice versa like what happened to Cashquests. You can take a look at the Alexa graph of Cashquests after it was sold – it’s not a pretty sight.
2) My readers would be thoroughly pissed off
You guys are what makes this the blog that it is – I’m not sure how happy you’d be if I sold it and it was taken over by someone else, but I don’t think you guys would be too happy 
. This blog is run on a large part by my personality – sometimes good, sometimes bad but someone coming in with a different personality could wreak this website – and see a similar fall in traffic (and readers unsubscribing).
3) This blog is only going to grow
Say that the new owners had good intentions, and say this blog continued in its vein of growing steadily month after month – that would be something that would be painful to see, especially with the knowledge that it could have been me running it, me earning the extended revenue and me seeing the increase in RSS subscribers. At the moment, this blog has a bit above 200 RSS subscribers, something that is only going to increase along with revenue, and I’d like to use the best of my ability to see it happen.
What is your opinion – good to keep or should have sold it?
Will I ever sell TheUniversityKid.com ?
I’m not going to lie to you – there are two instances when I would sell TheUniversityKid.com. Before I do so, I’d really like to get tshirts and stuff made, because I’ve always wanted tshirts for my own website, but nonetheless, I would part with this in two cases.
The first case is if an offer of upwards of $10,000 USD was received – a figure that is well away from (hopefully!) what anyone is willing to pay at the moment. With that sum, I could put half in the bank and use the other half to start up another blog, with a handy little chunk for promotion and whatnot. Hopefully no one that reads this website has $10k to drop though, as it would still be hard to let go
The second case is well… when I finish or leave university. Should I do so, the domain name kind of doesn’t really make sense, and it would be better to take the money and start again – by then I might be able to nick myname.com off its current owner
Designers and coders
Thanks to all of you that volunteered yesterday – I will go in the order that people posted, so will send off emails shortly. As for the niche website theme, someone pointed me via MSN to this amazing Wordpress theme for niche sites – I love Wordpress, being too thick to do much in anything else, and the theme shown is pretty sweet – it could go for any type of website I reckon. Here’s a screenshot.
What do you think?
Adtoll – free advertising worth $20
Adtoll are looking at promoting their… system and to do so all new bloggers get $20 worth of advertising free. That’ll net you a week on Shoemoney or a few months on other blogs; anyways, you don’t lose much other than a bit of time signing up so check it out – their marketplace is an interesting one to view if just for the wide diversify apparent. Check it out.
The RSS contest is really heating up now, with just a few subscribers difference between myself and Internet Babel – I’m still up for guest posts, and submitted one today to Bloggin-Ads which will go up shortly – if you have a blog with more than 300 subscribers, and need a guest post, just send me a message.
If your blog is earning a lot of money then selling it would probably will not be a good idea.
David Chew’s last blog post..5 Requirement To Become A Malaysian Blogger
You have made a wise decision actually Jason
still this blog can go to a higher level as a gem.
Chetan’s last blog post..Stay tuned for a big upcoming contest
I would have sold the hell out of this blog for $6K.
You can always start a new one in the future and get it to the level you are at now and for $6,000 you could bankroll a lot of other online projects that could earn you income for a long time.
But I appreciate the fact that you’re committed to your readers.
Hard call, and not sure what I would have done really. On one side you could taken the money, started a new blog used some of the money building up the new blog with a new identity and started the branding all over again.
On the other hand, you could end up having to see the site take of and being really popular with you on the sideline. I have done this ones (not a blog though) and it`s not funny at all.
But I`m certain that if you keep updating the blog regularly it will keep growing, and for each subscriber/reader you get the blog will be more worth. Hey, you could end up making a living of blogging!
I think it was a good call mate.
VikingBlogger’s last blog post..PC or MAC – The Final Result
@ David, the money this blog makes is minimal.
@ Chetan, cheers… thought I’d have a lot of people calling me an idiot for not taking the money. Plenty of time left for that though
@ Link, that’s something I thought about, but eventually turned the idea down. In my opinion, the hardest part about starting a community is the beginning – starting a blog from scratch, gaining the necessary backlinks and so forth; even if a website is run by someone with some history, it’s likely not to make any money for the first couple of months simple because it’s so new, doesn’t have RSSers, traffic or PR and whatnot.
I suppose we’ll find out how much of an idiot I was in the upcoming months
@ VB, that’s what I was scared of. Happened with one of the eBook websites I sold – went on to bank $100/day, no promotion whatsoever… painful to watch
Jason, the blog is nothing but an extension of its creator’s personality,
certainly most of us read/comment because of its uniqueness.
Certainly a hard decision to make but even after you finish university,
and there is no reason for you
the blog would be a brand by then
to leave it IMHO.
Who knows you could be the next top blogger making a killing off it?
But cash is cash and 10K is nothing to be sneezed at although we would
have missed you.
Respect your decision not to sell it.Man you can certainly resist
temptation.
Jason, I understand your points from the perspective of running a blog but I’m of the strong opinion that a blog is a terrible, terrible way to make a buck online long term. So if you get a chance to cash out I’d want to take it.
Blogs require too much attention and require a unique voice for relatively small returns. The unique voice part is why sites like CashQuest bomb out after they get sold because the new owner writes nothing like the previous owner and people stop visiting.
Think of how many sites making $100/day you could create with $6,000 in seed money? That was my point I guess. I’m trying to hammer home this idea of long term, passive income sites in my web dev. newsletter (shameless plug, terribly sorry) right now so that’s why I’m mini-ranting.
Off topic Jason but, speaking of newsletters, have you found a way to sign up for Aweber yet? It’s unbelievable awesome. Highly recommended.
There is something to be said for cash in hand now versus only the potential for bigger cash later. Having said that, I’m sure the value of this blog will just continue to go up and you don’t need to sell out now. That is unless you need the cash badly.
Ty Brown’s last blog post..Why cleaners and sprays AREN’T the key to house breaking your dog
I am glad you didn’t sell. If and when you do sell I think I would probably stop frequenting this site. Having followed this blog for a while now I would think that you have probably put in over $6000 of your time and money, so selling it for that price could be considered a loss, maybe..
I think your blog is really on an upswing and as with most markets it isn’t really advisable to sell when things are heading upwards! You have been putting out good content lately (IMO) and the site is only getting better (IMO).
egk’s last blog post..Mercedes-Benz W126 S/SE/SEC/SEL/SD/SDL :: Rare 1981 Preussen Edition?
$6,000? No offense, but this blog isn’t worth that much money for another 2 years minimum from an objective point of view. Turning down that offer was really valiant of you, I don’t think that I could have had the same level of self control. I really agree with you on the fact that you don’t want to see something you put that much work into fail, because it probably would fail without the man the entire website is based on. So good for you, with the morals!
-Jim
Jim’s last blog post..Top Five Ways to Boost Traffic to Your Blog for Free
@ Chenzen, just imagine the 52 year old University Kid blogger. Hehe!
Becoming the next top blogger (earnings wise, at least) is the dream… that will not happen without some serious marketing and promotion, something I’ll be doing over the next few months.
@ Link, agreed… I’ve always stated that this blog makes jack all compared to the time I put in, however I hope that it will gradually improve
I do feel that it can be worth a lot more though, which is why I’ll be sticking with it, for now at least. Hopefully the rest of you will follow my journey, all the ups and many downs too
As for Aweber, damn, no. Damned virtual credit cards aren’t accepted there for some reason, gotta beg/borrow/steal from the parents and hope they get me a USA based one
@ Ty, your comments keep going into Akismet for some reason and I only get them hours later… any idea why? And naah, not in need of the cash at the moment, the parents provide for everything
@ Jim… I’d say this blog is nowhere near worth six grand, but if you take a look at similar blog sales in the past (blogs that were only a few months old) the rest of the blogosphere seems to disagree – the three blogs mentioned in this post this post all sold at $30+ a subscriber (OMG eventually went for $8.5k I think) meaning that with 200+ subscribers, this blog is worth it. I personally wouldn’t pay $6k as a neutral for this blog, but maybe that’s just because I’m a cheapskate, eh
I’d value a blog in terms of revenue, and with 10x a month’s earnings being the average sale price this blog is well off from the $6k mark… it will be improved though, hopefully
I think you definitely did the right thing because you are looking at the bigger picture rather than the quick cash upfront.
But now this is more of an incentive to actually work harder to start raking in the big bucks!
Jay
DatMoney.com
So they were going to give you $6K and give you a month to move everything over to a new domain and tell everyone to follow you there?! WTF. In a month you could write lots of good posts directing people to a NEW BLOG maybe something like TheUniversityBalla.com (it’s available I checked GoDaddy). Also you aren’t going to be at a University forever so at some point this domain name is going to be obsolete for you anyway. You might lose some Google PR love and drop in the search engines, but you should easily be able to keep your subscriber following.
You should totally get back in touch and tell them they can have it for $6,500, hey you got to play hardball while you can. Besides, they came to you first!
Kyle James’s last blog post..Social Survey: Del.icio.us
And another thing… http://www.dnscoop.com/ valued your site at $5,850 so $6K is just about right.
Kyle James’s last blog post..Social Survey: Del.icio.us
I’m not really sure about the decision, I’m thinking that $6k is a lot for this blog, and you could have easily regained the traffic you currently have within a few months, but maybe now you could just keep growing the blog and aim for the $10k. There will always be people willing to pay a premium, you just have to find them. I guarantee you that right now someone would be willing to pay $10k for this blog, but the chances of finding him are tiny, just increase those chances and you might be on to something big…
William Montanaro’s last blog post..#10 – Make A Facebook App
I probably would have done it, then taken the $6k and used it to invest in other projects, such as a new blog or a bunch of PPC campaigns.
Oh, and a plane ticket to Japan. Been meaning to do that.
Don’t kick yourself too hard though. You may get another offer in a few months for even more, or maybe you’ll start making tons of money with this site. Who knows.
Geoff’s last blog post..You Can’t Get Rich if You Use the 1040EZ
I would go with you straight, as always. 6 large are nice pile of money. You could always make new blog. We, your visitors, would follow you on new blog. You would have half money 3k in the bank and 3 k to develop another blog. So I think you made a mistake. Sorry man, that’s my call. But that’s not what counts. What really counts is your heart. So if you are happy, that’s fine.
Aleks’s last blog post..Hello world!
I think it was the right decision to say no. Because if buyers would pay $6,000 now… what would they pay in 6 months if the quality is kept throughout. $6,000 is a lot straight up. But not a lot in the long run. You would probably regret it had you said yes.
Plus I don’t think you could ever really sell a personal blog because without that person who built the stability and self-brand… the blog is nothing. Just like if someone bought John Chow from him… everyone would probably stop reading because the domain or self-brand then disapears… which I why I didn’t put my name in my domain
Nick Sullivan’s last blog post..10 Things I Hate About Your Blog
I would have turned down the offer as well. If the company paid me $6,000 plus gave me commission every month, then I would have accepted the offer. This blog is going to grow, and with the growth, the value is going to increase. I think it is best for you to keep working on the blog as it is a fantastic blog and the domain name is great. However, if someone offers you a great deal, I would say go for it as long as they let you continue to run the blog.
I think selling this blog would’ve been a loss. It can grow a lot in the future, up to where you’re making plenty to replace that $6,000 offer and much more. By sticking around you’ll get to experience a lot more, make a lot more money, and develop a stronger blog.
Tay – Super Blogging’s last blog post..Grab Flickr Creative Commons Photos Without Leaving Your Blog
Hi Jason
What a boost to your ego and confidence that someone values you that much that they want to have a part of you, which is what this blog is. Money isn’t everything and you have the skills and confidence to make that kind of money with a little hard work doing other things 
I have been subscribing to your post because of who you are and what and how, you write. There is only one TUK and you are who makes this blog and has me returning and commenting. I agree with Tay, if you keep at it you will make the money they have offered you and more by sticking at it.
Lots of comments on this blogs first topic line:-)
If you had started the blog initially to build it up to sell it, then you would definitely have to give their offer, serious consideration. If you started this blog because you wanted to share your thoughts and express your personality to a growing following of readers and you feel that you would be letting those people down, then to sell it would not be the thing to do. I can appreciate what your other commenters points of view are and they are quite valid but you need to do what is right for you and only you will know what that is
Misty’s last blog post..High Speed Internet Is A Must-Have For Gamers
Jason, I am not sure how many visitors you get or how many RSS subs you have. But I see how many comments you get on your blog posts. Though you may not be earning much from this blog right now, but I am sure if you monetize it right, $1000 a month is just at your doorstep. And selling such blog for $6000 would not be a good idea.
But thats just my thought.
Jim Karter’s last blog post..Few Changes to JimKarter.Com
It’s being said the value of a blog or regular Web site is determined by its revenue and the amount and quality of visitors (and a couple other factors). To get a rough idea, one would calculate the value by multiplying the most recent yearly revenue by 8x-15x.
Meaning, if your blog earns you $2,000/yr you could expect to sell it for $16,000–$30,000 (if you want to, of course).
Exceptions are the rules. One was business.com, which was sold 24 times the revenue.
Having said this, YOU know your plans with your blog. In other words, if you “know” you’ll be making a lot more in the future, you may be better advised to wait until you hit a max to get a much better price (again, if you plan to sell it, that is).
Marcus Hochstadt’s last blog post..Free Blog vs. Your Own Blog
@marcus it is monthly revenue not yearly, any website can earn $2,000 a year, it is generally monthly revenue x 10-15 as far as i know…
William Montanaro’s last blog post..#10 – Make A Facebook App
William, as far as I’m concerned, it is yearly. Or otherwise it wouldn’t make sense to sell a Web site for 10 times the monthly revenue when you make that amount in 10 months, would it?
For more details, please see…
http://blog.domaintools.com/2007/07/business-dotcom-solf-for-360-million/
And the $2,000 was just an example number. It is a good idea to keep the owner of the blog you comment on in mind.
Marcus Hochstadt’s last blog post..How To Choose A Good Domain Name
I’d say you made a good decision not to sell this blog–well for now, at least. $6000 may look good today, but your blog still has a lot of potential to grow. We want to see you make it grow.
Gian paolo’s last blog post..The Battle of Grammar and Loyalties
I think you made the right decision in not selling. Imagine watching it grow into a massive blog and you thinking and regretting selling it.
I’d say its not worth $6K yet but it has definately got the potential to be even bigger and worth more than the $6K offered!
Liam’s last blog post..Idea behind Heavens Paradox
6000 US$ wow, if I become you I will sell it without thinking again.you can make and build new site again and will grow up on short time.I think you must practice your ebook about flipping website eh…jason
emha’s last blog post..Window Alarm Intermatic Wireless
I just thought, with the time and effort you’ve used for this blog, 6K is just not enough. And what happens after selling the site.
I’m not really well informed about blog sellouts but I just don’t see the good (except for money of course) thing about selling blogs.
Kotsengkuba’s last blog post..Resize and text-align your Youtube videos
Yo dude I think you should visit a doctor or something cuz I think you’ve been hit in the head quite a few times.
SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS !!!
With this kind of money you can buy a small house in the country with a nice piece of land.If I were you I would have sold this blog in the minute If I was offered dough.
But If we are thinking straight this blog could be a gold mine.In time you can start earning 6k per month
trevomanut, your first thinking was not right..
The blog is in a stage where it is growing very well, and selling it would not be a right decision, thought it may fetch you a house or a car!
@trevomanut: QUOTE: “With this kind of money you can buy a small house in the country with a nice piece of land.”
Damn, where do you live!!?? $6000 here in California barely pays the yearly taxes on owning a house!!!
Anyway, IMO this blog will be worth MUCH more than that as it continues to grow! Congrats Jason on being able to boast on receiving such an offer in this sites short existence!
egk’s last blog post..Off Topic :: BLANK CHECK CAR LAON
Marcus Hochstadt, Its 10-15 x monthy revenue, not yearly. Trust me
))
Correct me if I’m wrong, but most of your revenue doesn’t even come from your blog.. So basing the price of a “potential” sale off of your income is null and somewhat unethical if you were leading the buyer to that conclusion, is it not?
Just saying, don’t know if I misunderstood as I skipped 5-10 comments.
@ Marcus, it is 10 – 15 x monthly revenue, unless it’s real stable or revenue is real huge.
@ Jon, I gave them a break up of revenue solely from the blog (paid reviews, advertising and whatnot).
thats a wise decision, i wont if i were you.
Derek’s last blog post..New look on Derek-ang.com and updates ( new version)
If you’re in it for the money, that would have been a good deal. But if the blog has sentimental value, which I assume it does, even a price three times as much would probably not do the job.
@ Daniel, I would sell my grandmother for $18,000.
Alright, I joke. However, TUK would easily be gotten rid off for that sum, as within half a month I would be able to establish a blog of similar standing, especially with the excessive amount to invest.
I’ve always said that as soon as this is worth $10k, it’s sold. I would invest half into another blog, a little into Blog Premiere and keep the rest for a rainy day
Smart decision. Apparently if someone thinks it is worth $6,000 then they have view it as having great potential. You made the correct decision to keep it. Besides 6 grand is chump change. Never settle for less.