The year 2016 is officially over, and boy was it eventful! Before diving into 2017, let's look back at what happened with The Modest Man in 2016.
Here are my personal and business highlights for 2016:
➝ Traffic to TMM increased by 72% from 2015 to 1.4 million annual unique visitors
➝ Annual revenue from TMM increased 143% over 2015 to $89,207
➝ I moved to the southwest (hence all the cacti showing up on Instagram)
➝ I became an uncle
➝ The private “Modest Men” Facebook group was born and currently has over 800 members (and counting)
➝ I got to drive sports cars, shoot guns and drink bourbon with Aaron Marino, Antonio Centeno and a handful of other awesome entrepreneurs for “Man Camp 1.0” outside of Nashville
Many of these things wouldn't have happened without your support, and I can't thank you enough for that!
2016 Income Report
As you may know, I publish quarterly income reports here on The Modest Man.
I like to show you exactly how I make a living blogging and love being totally transparent about the business side of things.
In terms of business, 2016 was my best year yet – by far. Let's look at the numbers:
I love the shape of this chart! Here's a breakdown by category (total for 2016):
- Advertising/Sponsorships: $52,837
- Digital Products: $11,195
- Affiliate Commissions: $23,410
TOTAL = $89,207
Keep in mind, this is gross revenue (before expenses and taxes). But still, this is the first year in which I've made a living running TMM – without any “day job” or freelance gigs.
I've been working toward this since 2012, so it's a huge milestone, and it feels amazing.
Most Popular Content
Of the 50 new posts published in 2016, these three were the most popular:
#1: 25 Watches for Small Wrists
#2: 15 Famous Tall Women Who Love Short Men
#3: Dress Better by Avoiding These 10 Rookie Errors
As a content creator, you never really know what will be popular, so it's always a good idea to look back and see what people are reading and enjoying most.
It's nice to see some diversity amongst the most popular new content of 2016. We've got style (of course), dating and some very specific tips (buying small watches).
What Went Well
Publishing Schedule – I published a new post and sent an email newsletter every Tuesday in 2016, no matter what.
It's the first time I've been able to stick to a publishing schedule, and I think it's working out great.
YouTube – I finally started producing more (and better) videos for YouTube, and the TMM channel has started to grow.
What Did Not Go Well
Site Redesign – Another year has gone by, and this website still looks like it's straight out of 2012 (because it is). It's hard to commit the time and money necessary to redesign your site the right way, but it will happen in 2017 – I promise!
YouTube – Even though I've made some progress with video, there's SO much room for improvement.
Goals for 2017
Here's what I'd like to do in 2017:
More Videos – In addition to publishing one new blog post each week, I'd like to produce at least one new video. Sometimes, the video will go with the post, and sometimes it won't. Either way, I'm going to hit “upload” more often.
New Website – It's happening. The wheels are in motion. I just need to finalize the specs give my designer and developer the green light. Stay tuned!
Double Revenue – In the not-too-distant future, I'd like to hire a full-time employee (or three), and that requires lots of cash. For that reason, I'd like to double revenue from TMM in 2017.
None of these things are possible without you. Whether you've been in the TMM family since day one, or you just started following along, I can't thank you enough for your readership and support.
Thank you, and Happy New Year!
What are your goals for 2017? Leave a comment below!
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Brandon says
January 3, 2017 at 3:39 pmCongrats on going full time in 2016! I really hope you can nail your 2017 goals!
Brock says
January 3, 2017 at 3:48 pmThanks, Brandon!
John Phillips says
January 3, 2017 at 4:09 pmMost Impressive Brack! Now if I could learn to blog ?
Pedro. says
January 3, 2017 at 5:09 pmBrock, Happy New year and congratulations! You deserve it.
I always enjoy and learn from your blogs.
Please keep this good work!
EMM says
January 3, 2017 at 5:11 pmGood luck in 2017. I enjoy all of your content.
Dan Moran says
January 3, 2017 at 6:09 pmCongratulations, Brock! And thanks for being so transparent with your revenue data — it’s inspiring to see what an individual blogger can earn!
Theo says
January 3, 2017 at 7:36 pmGreat Work! You’ve worked hard to get where you are at.
Simon A. says
January 3, 2017 at 8:16 pmYou’re an inspiration to all of us (vertically challenged) guys, Brock! Congratulations on meeting this huge milestone!
claire aka mom says
January 3, 2017 at 9:39 pmGreat job in 2016 Brock!
Wishing you all the best this year!
Ale says
January 4, 2017 at 5:44 amWell done.
Carlos says
January 4, 2017 at 8:17 pmDangggggggg! Cora and I are very impressed!
YoungEarner says
January 4, 2017 at 9:33 pmBeen following your blog for a year (on and off) and it truly has grown, I can’t say i’m not a little jealous! Congratz on the extremely impressive growth, it definitely took hard work to get there.
Here’s to an even better 2017 🙂
Rand says
January 5, 2017 at 5:59 amWay to go Brock. Being an entrepreneur is a tough gig, and being one in the digital world, even tougher! Congrats! Onward & Upward!
Ankit says
January 6, 2017 at 9:26 amWell done – it’s not easy, but you’re doing a great job. Any plans on launching more clothes in the future?
Don says
January 10, 2017 at 1:26 pmREPRESENT!!! On behalf of all modest men everywhere YOU THE MAN! I had civen up on my blog Smart Money Plans But you have lit my fire anew. KEEP ON KEEPIN ON
Dane says
February 24, 2017 at 9:14 pmCongratulations Brock. Really. I’m glad you’re doing this and I respect what you’ve done. I tuned in a year or two ago and saw one of your articles about your ambition to eventually turn this business into your primary source of income. It was a dream, and you boldly headed into the direction of it and are now seeing big results. Congratulations. You’re an example that I repeatedly remember and use as a guide. That same article you wrote was another transparent one where you talked about what you were doing, the numbers, the theory behind it. And that is meaningful to me in my own career.
(You know more than I do, but I think youtube is a vital tool, so it’s good to see you on youtube regularly. I’ve watched you and my fitness guide both slowly build your businesses with youtube’s help. Now he posts multiple videos a week and has almost 3 million subscribers who immediately put tens of thousands of views on each new video within a day of it coming out. And he mentions his website and his service in every single video. Anyway, I love to see what articles of clothing and outfits you will show and discuss. There are so many men 5’8″ and under, and most of us desperately need what you provide. My wardrobe is a big consideration in my daily life. Who knows, department stores might respond to a growing demand for better-fitting clothes because of you.)
Again, you’re an example for me. The transparency is incredibly helpful. Thanks for doing it.
Dane
Wendi says
May 13, 2019 at 1:08 pmYour income reports are so helpful and generous! Congrats on living your best life!