8 Personal Development Blog Success Stories [2024]
Personal development blogs teach readers activities designed to improve their talents, potential, employability, and wealth.
Here are important tips to help your personal development blog stand out:
- Create a catchy title
- Be truthful to your audience
- Expect and know how to deal with criticism
- Market your blog on social media
- Post new content often
- Plan your content ahead
In this list, you'll find real-world personal development blog success stories and very profitable examples of starting a personal development blog that makes money.
1. Dean Bokhari ($1.44M/year)
Dean Bokhari, founder of DeanBokhari.com, was working as a marketer for a tobacco company until he had an emotional breakdown and decided to pursue meaningful work. After years of personal development and taking action, he started sharing what he had learned through writing, podcasting, and speaking, which eventually led him to start his membership platform. Now, with over half a million readers and monthly revenues exceeding $100,000, Dean is helping others improve their lives and achieve their goals.
How much money it makes: $1.44M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 17
Founder Dean Bokhari shares how he launched a membership platform focused on self-improvement, generating over $100,000 per month in revenue, attracting customers via high-quality content, guest blogging and Facebook ads, with plans to grow to $1,000,000 per month over the next 3-5 years.
2. Project 9 Life ($480K/year)
After losing 100 lbs and turning his life around, Todd was inspired by his own journey and the low success rates of typical resolutions. He founded Project9LIFE, a coaching program now generating $40k/month, to help others achieve lasting lifestyle changes.
How much money it makes: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $40K
How many people on the team: 1
This case study is about Todd, a former athlete who transformed his own life by becoming active and losing weight, inspiring him to start Project9LIFE, an 8-week group coaching program that focuses on mindset and helping professionals aged 35-55 make progress in their lives, currently making about $40k/m on his way to $500k/m+.
3. The Holistic Enchilada ($96K/year)
Delilah Orpi started her blog, The Holistic Enchilada, in 2017 as a side project while working as a full-time teacher.
After finding success with a post about her curly hair routine, she decided to focus on the curly hair niche.
With the help of blogging courses and her expertise in clean beauty, Delilah has grown her blog to earn an average of $7,000 a month in revenue.
How much money it makes: $96K/year
How much did it cost to start: $250
How many people on the team: 2
Delilah Orpi's blog "The Holistic Enchilada" is making up to $7,000 a month in revenue through sales of digital products, display ads, affiliate marketing, and sponsored posts in the niche market of clean beauty and curly hair, with a focus on retaining customers through email marketing and SEO.
4. Radical FIRE ($72K/year)
Marjolein Dilven, the founder of Radical FIRE, came up with the idea for her personal finance platform after googling "how to retire early" and discovering the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement. Despite starting with a negative net worth and no previous writing experience, Dilven consistently published content and eventually learned about SEO, which helped her attract more traffic to her website. Today, Radical FIRE generates around $6,000 in monthly revenue and has over 100,000 monthly pageviews, all organic.
How much money it makes: $72K/year
How much did it cost to start: $180
How many people on the team: 2
Radical FIRE, a personal finance platform run by women for women, has grown to $6,000 in monthly revenue and 100,000 monthly pageviews with no ads, 120% more than last year, while founder Marjolein Dilven also gets to live her dream life of traveling the world after quiting her job to work on Radical FIRE full-time.
5. Katie Goes Platinum ($72K/year)
Katie Emery, founder of KatieGoesPlatinum.com, came up with the idea for her business after deciding to embrace her gray hair and noticing a lack of information and products available for women going through the same transition. Within a few months of starting her blog, she earned $500 in ad revenue, and two years later, her site consistently averages $6,000 per month in revenue.
How much money it makes: $72K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 1
Katie Emery founded KatieGoesPlatinum.com, a website advising women on how to transition from dyed hair to their natural gray hair, which earns an average of $6,000 per month in revenue through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and advertisements.
6. Busy Living Better ($62.4K/year)
Noah Riggs, the founder of Busy Living Better, came up with the idea for his business after realizing the potential of making money online through blogging. With a background in SEO and a desire to help others live their best lives, Noah started offering SEO consulting services and created a website focused on providing valuable content and resources. Through hard work and dedication, Noah has been able to attract and retain clients by mastering his skills and consistently providing value.
How much money it makes: $62.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $350
How many people on the team: 1
How Noah Riggs Started a $5k/month SEO Consulting and Blogging Business, using his past experiences to fuel his drive and learning new skills to grow his business, which now generates between $5,500 to $6,500 per month.
7. Sarah Stewart ($54K/year)
Sarah Stewart transitioned from a 14-year corporate career in the pharmaceutical industry to become a time management coach after a "lightbulb moment" on a Zoom call. Leveraging her project management skills and lived experiences, Sarah's business has served 121 customers and generated $150,000 in lifetime revenue.
How much money it makes: $54K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 0
A time management coach and project management consultant shares how she transitioned from a corporate career to self-employment, built a successful coaching business, and launched a transformative program that has received rave reviews and changed lives.
8. You Be Relentless ($48K/year)
Khoa Bui, the founder of YouBeRelentless, came up with the idea for his business after a cancer scare in 2016 made him rethink his life. He decided to start a business he was passionate about, focusing on entrepreneurship and personal development, and began writing articles, conducting interviews, and creating videos to share valuable tips and information with his audience. Since then, his website has seen significant growth, with over 100k views every few months.
How much money it makes: $48K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 5
A CEO shares how he generates $4k a month from his business, YouBeRelentless, which is an online resource that provides tips on entrepreneurship and personal development, by focusing on passion, content, and that career growth takes time.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
