I think the title of this post probably sums it up. Yeah, I recently got a decent-sized offer to sell the blog. So this is some of what went through my head…
- When I started MileNerd, there wasn’t anything like it. That isn’t intended as a brag…it’s just a fact. There were only a few blogs and all wrote in the same straight, cookie-cutter style. Hard to read…almost like a textbook. For some, that was because affiliates limited their content. But it was also because they weren’t particularly interesting people. And they weren’t really writers.
Beyond that, the main difference was that I chose to put readers first. Not money, not credit card sales. Readers. And I think it’s a pretty big difference. Probably the reason so many people found me. Maybe why so many of you have been loyal for years. You trust me as a person. For whatever reason, you could always tell the difference. I still don’t know how exactly…are people just that perceptive? But real trust was something other bloggers didn’t have. It was something they didn’t deserve. - Well, times have changed. There are now other bloggers who can be trusted. Not many. But a few. A couple have been very respectful and gave me credit for being the pioneer of a lot of this stuff. Even for little things like the pictures. The truth is, I feel great about it. I know I helped pave the way for a different kind of blogger. I know what my impact was, even if some don’t. But this new environment made me wonder if it was a good time to consider the offer.
- I literally couldn’t have treated this blog less like a business. As you know, I don’t use ads and didn’t make any money here. No social media. Haven’t even tracked the number of hits for years. So I started brainstorming what value MileNerd would even have to a buyer. And then it hit me – it’s you guys. This thing has a reputation now…it’s a name people can trust. That’s a very rare thing in this game. It takes a long time to earn it. Most bloggers never will.
- I don’t know if mine is the best way. This is just how I chose to do things. So…at this point, the real question is if it’s time to retire my keyboard?
- Writing a blog isn’t necessarily “hard,” but it does take some energy. It might be nice to have a few more free hours in my week. So should I sell?
The answer is, not yet.
I turned down the offer for now.
If you have any thoughts either way, feel free to let me know.