Announcing Niche Ventures! I’m Looking to Fund and Partner on Your Next Big Idea…

Sometimes all you need is a little boost.

When I started building my first online business back in 2005, I bootstrapped everything.  I would spend a few hundred dollars here and there to try and grow various ideas I had.

This approach worked well, but was extremely slow.  I spent 6 years from 2005 to 2011 doing most things myself, building out little niche sites, trying to spend as little as possible and still grow my income.

Finally, my sites started doing well enough, that I was able to quit my job in 2011! I was a full-time entrepreneur!

Then I came up with the idea of Long Tail Pro, a keyword research tool, that I thought could be a hit!  I'm not a software engineer, and the price tag was $15,000 to get the initial version off the ground.

That amount of money was a significant investment for me at the time, and I didn't take it lightly. For a time, I thought perhaps it wasn't financially responsible for me to invest that kind of money when I had a wife and family to support.

However, I took the risk and had the software developed.  

I'm sure glad I did!  Long Tail Pro was a huge hit and has allowed me to invest and grow several other businesses since that time.

While I believe this approach worked well in my situation, perhaps there is another approach.

• What if I had been able to partner with someone?
• What if I had been able to receive some funding? 
• Would I have been able to skip those 6 “slow growth” years and quit my job much sooner?

As I look back on my experiences, and as I've networked with other potential online entrepreneurs over the years, I know there are others that might benefit from a small investment or some guidance from someone who has been there before.

I want to give a few ambitious entrepreneurs a little boost with some funding and partnership.

Today, I'm excited to announce Niche Ventures!

What is Niche Ventures?

Niche Ventures is a new investment entity I've created that seeks to invest in profitable business ideas in the digital marketing, SEO, or online business market.

In particular, I'm looking to invest in Saas or other ideas that target digital marketers, bloggers, affiliate marketers, and SEOs.  

I'm not seeking to invest in “moonshot” ideas. I'm not seeking to invest in ideas that hope to be profitable in a few years or go public.

I'm looking for “niche” software or other businesses that are either currently profitable or expect to be profitable as soon as their product is launched.  

What Does Niche Ventures Bring to the Table?

The exact amount of investment dollars depends on the business. However, I expect to invest anywhere from $20k to $100k per business to help it grow. 

In addition to financial investment, I can also provide:

• On-going advice, connections, and coaching.  A typical ongoing schedule would be 1 call per month to discuss the business.
• Introductions to the right people, affiliates, and media.
• Limited mentions of your business on Niche Pursuits (email, social, blog, podcast, etc.). These would be limited in nature, perhaps just a few times to help the business gain some traction.

Overall, wouldn't it be nice to consult with someone that has launched products in the niche you are targeting that just happens to also have a large audience?

What Does a Typical Partnership Look Like?

This is brand new, so each deal will be custom structured.

However, the main idea is that I provide an initial funding amount, some limited promotion, and ongoing consulting.  And you run the day-to-day operations without my involvement.  You develop the product, manage the team, and execute on strategy.

Depending on the deal, I might seek anywhere from a 10% to 40% equity stake in the company.

Who Should Apply?

I'm looking for ambitious entrepreneurs who believe that a small investment and partnership will help their business grow. 

The ideal business will:

• Already be profitable and have paying customers, but is looking to expand.
• Owners have a proven track record of prior successful businesses.
• Are happy to achieve a profitable “million” dollar idea instead of an unprofitable “billion” dollar idea.
• Be willing to run their business without my involvement; other than occasional consulting.

I'm willing to review all applicants, even if your business is still in “idea” phase.  However, those businesses that already a few steps ahead are likely to receive more attention.

How to Apply?

In order to pitch your idea and apply for funding from Niche Ventures, simply fill out the form right here!

I will be looking at each submission and will follow up with questions or to schedule a time for a call.  Please allow 7 days or so to receive a response.