The Story
Alex built Fin vs Fin, a product review site in the health and wellness space that generates over $1 million a year through affiliate marketing. He started it as a side hustle in 2018 while working a full-time job, and didn't quit until his side income replaced his $150K salary.
Alex always knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur - both parents were entrepreneurs. But working at early-stage startups wasn't a 9-to-5; it required founder mentality. His aha moment: he needed a true 9-to-5 at a larger company so he could close his laptop at 5pm and side hustle.
The original idea was "Fin vs Fin" comparing fintech companies. But he noticed $100M Series A rounds going to telemedicine companies with zero content online about them. He pivoted to health and wellness, wrote the first 60 articles himself while learning WordPress, and waited 6 months before seeing significant organic traffic.
Key Insights
Finding Your Niche
- •Can't win in a crowded space when you're new and not authoritative
- •CAN win queries nobody has ever written about
- •Look for: New industries + High margin products + Lots of momentum
- •Alex was among the first to review telehealth platforms that are now household names
The Direct Partnership Model
- •Instead of using affiliate networks, Alex partnered directly with brands
- •Pitch: "I'm pretty sure we're driving you sales. There could be more if we work together."
- •Brands name their price for customers you drive
- •This was the "smart, innovative moment" that scaled the business
Keyword Research Strategy
- •Go after low competition, longtail keywords
- •If you're in the audience you serve, queries are intuitive
- •Recognize high-intent query patterns
- •Write the very best thing online about each brand
- •Sometimes that means more depth, sometimes more concise
- •Match the true intent behind the query
Content Strategy
- •Be there first - write the first thing online about it
- •Write the best thing
- •Fresh content wins - stale content erodes rankings
- •Stay within your topical authority (don't go outside your lane)
Scaling to a Portfolio
- •Now runs 6 sites in the portfolio
- •Economies of scale: one partner can be on five sites
- •Each site focuses on a narrower niche within health/wellness
Diversifying Traffic
- •Started testing paid advertising
- •Pitch to partners: "I have an idea for more growth. It will cost a test spend of a few thousand."
- •If it works, it's extremely scalable
Team Structure
- •First hire: Writers
- •Virtual assistant for publishing tasks
- •Full-time editor
- •Designer
- •Web developer
This freed Alex to focus on partnerships - highest leverage for revenue.
Day in the Life
- •Start around 8:30-9am
- •Weekly team meetings
- •Brand partnership meetings
- •Review content, tweak ad campaigns
- •Stop around 4pm for family time
- •Evening window after kids sleep for emails and team coordination
Key Advice
"You can't see around very many corners and you're going to have to pivot a bunch. Just get started. Pick a broad-based audience and figure out their problems. Where you start is not where you end."
Resources
- •Fin vs Fin: https://finvsfin.com