Whether it’s hittin’ his keyboard at home or racing down some single-track in the wilderness, Robb Sutton is making himself known. Robb is among the most influential bloggers of 2009 (#30 of 50 on IncomeDiary.com) and is best known for getting over $100,000 of free review product for his mountain biking blog – Mountain Biking by 198.
I first heard about him after Yaro Starak interviewed him. Since then I’ve been soaking up his content about mountain biking (one of my favorite sports) and enjoying his comments on Twitter. For all his success, Robb has been very friendly and easy to work with. I was really pumped when he agreed to an interview.
10 Questions with Robb Sutton
Before blogging, what did you do and how did this lead you into blogging?
Regional Sales Manager for a manufacturing firm. I covered the southeast United States with about 11 million in annual sales. Blogging actually hit on accident believe it or not. I started a website with the goal of making it a user submitted trail review site. About a week into it, I made the realization that a user submitted site is very hard to start without traffic! I started a blog section to bring in visitors and that eventually just took the site over. What started as a passionate outlet for my hobby (been mountain biking for 14+ years), has turned into a business all its own. From that point, I branched off in to blogging, coffee and several others. Blogging is addicting.
At what point did your sites get to a point where you could blog full-time? What caused this?
Full time income hit once the traffic really stabilized and that gave me a chance to try out and test multiple monetization techniques. The trick to making money online is really diversifying your income streams so that one way does not completely dominate your income. This can be done with a very targeted following, but the larger your targeted readership…the bigger your income. I was blogging daily for about a year and a half before that kind of income started appearing. Blogging is no different than any other business…you really have to be willing to put in the work with little gain in the beginning.
What is RobbSutton.com About?
RobbSutton.com is to teach bloggers how to grow their reach through solid fundamental values instead of fly by night tricks. By finding a way to make that connection through blogging and social media, you can grow a real business online in whatever niche you decide to call home. To keep things rolling, I’ll through in motivational/life design posts aimed at combating laziness and self doubt.
I know you joined Blog Mastermind with Yaro Starak, how did that program help you get started?
I had been blogging steadily for about 6 months before I started that program. To my surprise…I had actually fell into (purely by chance) doing a lot of things correctly. Blog Mastermind allowed me to fine tune things quickly and efficiently so the learning curve was shorter. At that point, spending money on a training program also made me take my blogging more seriously. It was more making the decision to really make a run at it than training looking back on it. The program is great for beginning bloggers though…action step after action step.
What has been the biggest challenge for you (content, SEO, links, multimedia…)?
The biggest challenge….
Probably site design honestly. The content had been in my head for years…it was just a matter of publishing it out onto a screen. I have a background in video production and amateur photography, so the multimedia aspect came naturally. I am a computer geek at heart…so the SEO and technical side was something I was able to pick up pretty quickly. Site design is one of those things that you learn by doing since most beginning bloggers have zero room in their budget for anything custom.
What made you decide to write your first ebook – Ramped Reviews?
A couple hundred emails asking me how I did it! Before the 14 month point in mtbtrailreview.com, I had already received over $100k in review product and that was something pretty unique. After a lot of emails inquiring on the how and where’s of the process, I decided to write Ramped Reviews. From that, I have been able to help other bloggers see that same kind of success no matter what their niche.
Recently, you published two additional ebooks. Could you briefly describe them?
It’s actually up to three now! (and about to grow more in 2010)
Ramped Blogging – The Ultimate Blogging Guide – I was still getting a lot of emails asking how I achieved what I did with blogging in a short period of time, so I created Ramped Blogging to take any blogger, regardless of skill level, through the process. It takes you from setup to monetizing and traffic generation.
“When I set out to create an eBook for bloggers looking to build a business that generates income out of their blogging, I wanted to come to the table with something completely different. Basically, I wanted to write the eBook I didn’t have and wish I did.”
Ramped Mindset – Success is all about your thought processes. You have to think like a successful business owner far before you make your first dollar to really make it big. Ramped Mindset is that kickstart to successful thinking.
“Ramped Mindset is going to change the way you think about blogging and life. Once you change that mindset, you are ready to realize the success that other successful professionals have seen. The only thing that stands in your way is you as you continue this path to self created happiness.”
Ramped Riding – Just released on Bike198.com, Ramped Riding is an ebook that teaches you how to be a better mountain biker.
“Ramped Riding is designed to give you real world application that will drastically improve your on trail experience. From personal experience, I have seen riders increase their riding ability in a big way by making fine adjustments to their current skill set. What you might not realize is that you are much closer to that perfect ride than you first thought!“
Do you prefer downhill or crosscountry?
Downhill…but that is hard choice. I have even been known to do a couple of 100 mile rides on the road bike this year. I’ll ride just about anything that pedals.
What is your favorite place to ride? Pisgah National Forest, NC
If you could ride anywhere in the world, where would you like to go? British Columbia, Canada and Switzerland
How long have you been mountain biking? 14+ years
Thanks Robb!
Other Interview With Robb:
- On Profits Masterplan
- On IncomeDiary.com, “Today I am very pleased to introduce you an amazing guy who only started blogging last year and has done some amazing things.“
- On WP Stitch, “From out of the woods, on some dusty trail we find ourselves an avid cyclist and blogger, Robb Sutton.“
