Bulletin Board Business

Bulletin Board Business Success Stories [2024]

Updated: October 8th, 2024

Ever thought about turning the community noticeboard into a thriving business? The concept is straightforward: manage and monetize physical or online bulletin boards designed for local announcements and advertisements.

You'll provide a valuable platform where small businesses, local events, and community members can connect and communicate. Expect to spend your initial time finding high-traffic locations for physical boards or developing a user-friendly website for digital ones. Your revenue will primarily come from selling ad space, so you'll be negotiating rates and managing client relationships.

Running a bulletin board business means you’re at the heart of the community pulse, offering local exposure for businesses and events. This venture involves consistent outreach, regular updates, and a knack for selling ad spaces, but it can become a steady stream of income while fostering community engagement.

In this list, you'll find real-world bulletin board business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a bulletin board business that makes money.

1. The Motley Fool ($226M/year)

The Motley Fool was founded as a traditional print newsletter in a backyard shed in Alexandria, Virginia.

They wrote essays, provided market insights, recommended how much, when, and where subscribers should invest, and suggested the kind of return subscribers could expect on their money.

In 1993, David began an investment newsletter, which was largely unsuccessful until the following year, when Tom promoted it on America Online (AOL).

Realizing that the Internet was a perfect forum for their product, they launched the Motley Fool site on AOL in August 1994.

The Gardners’ portfolio was proof of their genius (or foolhardiness), as they consistently outperformed Standard & Poor’s Market Index.

In the first year, they finished 40 points ahead of the market.

The Gardners emphasized that their product was revolutionary because it created a shift in power from big-money investors and brokers to “the little guy” who had never before had convenient and affordable access to investment information.

How much money it makes: $226M/year
How many people on the team: 726

SMALLBORDER

How Motley Fool Grew to A $18M/Month Business

Learn how the Gardner brothers built a revolutionary financial services company from the ground up, achieving consistent market outperformance and creating a platform for individuals to take control of their finance decisions, all starting with a simple newsletter in 1994.

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