9 years in SEO and marketing, should I just do my own thing?

hamosfobli said:

I've been doing SEO for over 9 years now, and I've been through quite a few different niches and businesses over that time.

I started out working with dropshipping e-commerce stores, mostly in health and wellness, during the COVID boom. Things were crazy back then, traffic was everywhere, demand was high, and I ended up working with around 6 different brands. I'd jump into a store, work on growing it, hit the targets I was given, and eventually move on to the next one.

Back then, I was doing SEO and eventually got into Meta ads as well, mainly to help build brand awareness and get things moving faster.

After that, I pivoted into SaaS. Worked with chatbot apps, time management tools, fitness apps, self-help apps, AA-related apps and a bunch of other stuff. Different industries, different audiences, but the same general game of figuring out how to get people through the door and turn that traffic into actual customers.

Eventually, I came back to health and wellness because the demand was there and I knew the niche pretty well.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years is that timing matters.

I've been moving away from relying on Meta and focusing more on SEO again. There's a time and place for Meta, obviously, but I honestly don't think blindly throwing money at it is the move right now for every brand. It can become a pretty suicidal mission when the numbers don't add up.

I'd rather build something that has a solid organic foundation first, then use Meta to build brand awareness and support the growth.

SEO takes time, but once you get things moving, you're not completely dependent on paying for every single visitor. That's the whole point for me. Sustainable growth instead of being a one-hit wonder that disappears the second you turn the ads off.

Some of the results I've managed to get over the years:

-Taken a brand's Semrush Authority Score from 10 to 25 in around 2 months.
-Grown organic traffic to around 30k, with roughly 15–20k coming from buyer-intent keywords.
-Taken a brand from basically zero visibility to ranking number one for buyer-intent keywords in around 7 months.
-Helped grow a business from nothing to the $40–50k/month revenue range.

Obviously, every business is different, and I'm not saying every project works the same way. But I've done this enough times now to know what I'm doing and what it takes to get results.

Now here's where I'm a bit stuck.

I'm currently working with a brand where I've hit the targets I've been given, but outside of my salary, I'm not really seeing the upside I was led to believe would be there. There were talks about getting a percentage of revenue, but whenever I bring it up, the conversation seems to get avoided.

And honestly, that's starting to get to me.

I'm not someone who jumps ship over every little thing. I've always believed in building relationships, being loyal, and doing good business. If someone trusts me with their business, I'll put in the work and try to make it grow.

But trust goes both ways. If I'm putting in the work, hitting targets, and helping grow something, I expect people to keep their word too. Once that trust is gone, it's hard for me to see a reason to stick around.

I also used to have an actual Meta rep I could speak to, which was useful when things needed sorting out. That got replaced with what feels like a useless AI bot, which is another reason I've been leaning harder into SEO instead.

At this point, I've got people reaching out to me about projects and clients all the time. I know there's demand for what I do, and I know I can get results.

The problem is that I'm getting tired of going back and forth with people, building relationships, putting in months of work, and then having to deal with awkward conversations when it comes to the money or promises that were made at the beginning.

I've spent 9 years building things for other people. I've helped brands go from having no visibility to bringing in tens of thousands a month, and I've learned a lot along the way.

But I've never really seen myself as the guy who owns the business. I've always been the guy behind the scenes making things happen for someone else.So I'm genuinely wondering if it's time to do my own thing.

Part of me thinks I should stop putting all this effort into building other people's businesses and start building something for myself. I know SEO, I understand how to grow brands, I've got the experience, and I know I can get clients.The other part of me knows that running your own thing is a completely different game. Getting results for a client and building a business of your own aren't necessarily the same thing.

For those of you who've been in a similar position, what did you do?

Did you keep working with clients and build your own thing on the side until it was stable, or did you just take the leap and go all in?

And for those who've gone from being the person doing the work to actually owning the business, was it worth it?

I feel like I've spent enough years building things for other people. Maybe it's time I put that experience into something of my own, but I'd like to hear from people who've actually made that jump.

What do you guys think?

Click to expand...

hamosfobli said:

I've been doing SEO for over 9 years now, and I've been through quite a few different niches and businesses over that time.

I started out working with dropshipping e-commerce stores, mostly in health and wellness, during the COVID boom. Things were crazy back then, traffic was everywhere, demand was high, and I ended up working with around 6 different brands. I'd jump into a store, work on growing it, hit the targets I was given, and eventually move on to the next one.

Back then, I was doing SEO and eventually got into Meta ads as well, mainly to help build brand awareness and get things moving faster.

After that, I pivoted into SaaS. Worked with chatbot apps, time management tools, fitness apps, self-help apps, AA-related apps and a bunch of other stuff. Different industries, different audiences, but the same general game of figuring out how to get people through the door and turn that traffic into actual customers.

Eventually, I came back to health and wellness because the demand was there and I knew the niche pretty well.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years is that timing matters.

I've been moving away from relying on Meta and focusing more on SEO again. There's a time and place for Meta, obviously, but I honestly don't think blindly throwing money at it is the move right now for every brand. It can become a pretty suicidal mission when the numbers don't add up.

I'd rather build something that has a solid organic foundation first, then use Meta to build brand awareness and support the growth.

SEO takes time, but once you get things moving, you're not completely dependent on paying for every single visitor. That's the whole point for me. Sustainable growth instead of being a one-hit wonder that disappears the second you turn the ads off.

Some of the results I've managed to get over the years:

-Taken a brand's Semrush Authority Score from 10 to 25 in around 2 months.
-Grown organic traffic to around 30k, with roughly 15–20k coming from buyer-intent keywords.
-Taken a brand from basically zero visibility to ranking number one for buyer-intent keywords in around 7 months.
-Helped grow a business from nothing to the $40–50k/month revenue range.

Obviously, every business is different, and I'm not saying every project works the same way. But I've done this enough times now to know what I'm doing and what it takes to get results.

Now here's where I'm a bit stuck.

I'm currently working with a brand where I've hit the targets I've been given, but outside of my salary, I'm not really seeing the upside I was led to believe would be there. There were talks about getting a percentage of revenue, but whenever I bring it up, the conversation seems to get avoided.

And honestly, that's starting to get to me.

I'm not someone who jumps ship over every little thing. I've always believed in building relationships, being loyal, and doing good business. If someone trusts me with their business, I'll put in the work and try to make it grow.

But trust goes both ways. If I'm putting in the work, hitting targets, and helping grow something, I expect people to keep their word too. Once that trust is gone, it's hard for me to see a reason to stick around.

I also used to have an actual Meta rep I could speak to, which was useful when things needed sorting out. That got replaced with what feels like a useless AI bot, which is another reason I've been leaning harder into SEO instead.

At this point, I've got people reaching out to me about projects and clients all the time. I know there's demand for what I do, and I know I can get results.

The problem is that I'm getting tired of going back and forth with people, building relationships, putting in months of work, and then having to deal with awkward conversations when it comes to the money or promises that were made at the beginning.

I've spent 9 years building things for other people. I've helped brands go from having no visibility to bringing in tens of thousands a month, and I've learned a lot along the way.

But I've never really seen myself as the guy who owns the business. I've always been the guy behind the scenes making things happen for someone else.So I'm genuinely wondering if it's time to do my own thing.

Part of me thinks I should stop putting all this effort into building other people's businesses and start building something for myself. I know SEO, I understand how to grow brands, I've got the experience, and I know I can get clients.The other part of me knows that running your own thing is a completely different game. Getting results for a client and building a business of your own aren't necessarily the same thing.

For those of you who've been in a similar position, what did you do?

Did you keep working with clients and build your own thing on the side until it was stable, or did you just take the leap and go all in?

And for those who've gone from being the person doing the work to actually owning the business, was it worth it?

I feel like I've spent enough years building things for other people. Maybe it's time I put that experience into something of my own, but I'd like to hear from people who've actually made that jump.

What do you guys think?

Click to expand...

hamosfobli said:

I've been doing SEO for over 9 years now, and I've been through quite a few different niches and businesses over that time.

I started out working with dropshipping e-commerce stores, mostly in health and wellness, during the COVID boom. Things were crazy back then, traffic was everywhere, demand was high, and I ended up working with around 6 different brands. I'd jump into a store, work on growing it, hit the targets I was given, and eventually move on to the next one.

Back then, I was doing SEO and eventually got into Meta ads as well, mainly to help build brand awareness and get things moving faster.

After that, I pivoted into SaaS. Worked with chatbot apps, time management tools, fitness apps, self-help apps, AA-related apps and a bunch of other stuff. Different industries, different audiences, but the same general game of figuring out how to get people through the door and turn that traffic into actual customers.

Eventually, I came back to health and wellness because the demand was there and I knew the niche pretty well.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years is that timing matters.

I've been moving away from relying on Meta and focusing more on SEO again. There's a time and place for Meta, obviously, but I honestly don't think blindly throwing money at it is the move right now for every brand. It can become a pretty suicidal mission when the numbers don't add up.

I'd rather build something that has a solid organic foundation first, then use Meta to build brand awareness and support the growth.

SEO takes time, but once you get things moving, you're not completely dependent on paying for every single visitor. That's the whole point for me. Sustainable growth instead of being a one-hit wonder that disappears the second you turn the ads off.

Some of the results I've managed to get over the years:

-Taken a brand's Semrush Authority Score from 10 to 25 in around 2 months.
-Grown organic traffic to around 30k, with roughly 15–20k coming from buyer-intent keywords.
-Taken a brand from basically zero visibility to ranking number one for buyer-intent keywords in around 7 months.
-Helped grow a business from nothing to the $40–50k/month revenue range.

Obviously, every business is different, and I'm not saying every project works the same way. But I've done this enough times now to know what I'm doing and what it takes to get results.

Now here's where I'm a bit stuck.

I'm currently working with a brand where I've hit the targets I've been given, but outside of my salary, I'm not really seeing the upside I was led to believe would be there. There were talks about getting a percentage of revenue, but whenever I bring it up, the conversation seems to get avoided.

And honestly, that's starting to get to me.

I'm not someone who jumps ship over every little thing. I've always believed in building relationships, being loyal, and doing good business. If someone trusts me with their business, I'll put in the work and try to make it grow.

But trust goes both ways. If I'm putting in the work, hitting targets, and helping grow something, I expect people to keep their word too. Once that trust is gone, it's hard for me to see a reason to stick around.

I also used to have an actual Meta rep I could speak to, which was useful when things needed sorting out. That got replaced with what feels like a useless AI bot, which is another reason I've been leaning harder into SEO instead.

At this point, I've got people reaching out to me about projects and clients all the time. I know there's demand for what I do, and I know I can get results.

The problem is that I'm getting tired of going back and forth with people, building relationships, putting in months of work, and then having to deal with awkward conversations when it comes to the money or promises that were made at the beginning.

I've spent 9 years building things for other people. I've helped brands go from having no visibility to bringing in tens of thousands a month, and I've learned a lot along the way.

But I've never really seen myself as the guy who owns the business. I've always been the guy behind the scenes making things happen for someone else.So I'm genuinely wondering if it's time to do my own thing.

Part of me thinks I should stop putting all this effort into building other people's businesses and start building something for myself. I know SEO, I understand how to grow brands, I've got the experience, and I know I can get clients.The other part of me knows that running your own thing is a completely different game. Getting results for a client and building a business of your own aren't necessarily the same thing.

For those of you who've been in a similar position, what did you do?

Did you keep working with clients and build your own thing on the side until it was stable, or did you just take the leap and go all in?

And for those who've gone from being the person doing the work to actually owning the business, was it worth it?

I feel like I've spent enough years building things for other people. Maybe it's time I put that experience into something of my own, but I'd like to hear from people who've actually made that jump.

What do you guys think?

Click to expand...

RocketRank said:

Guilty of waiting for the perfect moment myself. nickguin's point about betting on yourself hit home, because I've been playing it safe instead of starting small on the side.

Click to expand...

hamosfobli said:

I've been doing SEO for over 9 years now, and I've been through quite a few different niches and businesses over that time.

I started out working with dropshipping e-commerce stores, mostly in health and wellness, during the COVID boom. Things were crazy back then, traffic was everywhere, demand was high, and I ended up working with around 6 different brands. I'd jump into a store, work on growing it, hit the targets I was given, and eventually move on to the next one.

Back then, I was doing SEO and eventually got into Meta ads as well, mainly to help build brand awareness and get things moving faster.

After that, I pivoted into SaaS. Worked with chatbot apps, time management tools, fitness apps, self-help apps, AA-related apps and a bunch of other stuff. Different industries, different audiences, but the same general game of figuring out how to get people through the door and turn that traffic into actual customers.

Eventually, I came back to health and wellness because the demand was there and I knew the niche pretty well.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years is that timing matters.

I've been moving away from relying on Meta and focusing more on SEO again. There's a time and place for Meta, obviously, but I honestly don't think blindly throwing money at it is the move right now for every brand. It can become a pretty suicidal mission when the numbers don't add up.

I'd rather build something that has a solid organic foundation first, then use Meta to build brand awareness and support the growth.

SEO takes time, but once you get things moving, you're not completely dependent on paying for every single visitor. That's the whole point for me. Sustainable growth instead of being a one-hit wonder that disappears the second you turn the ads off.

Some of the results I've managed to get over the years:

-Taken a brand's Semrush Authority Score from 10 to 25 in around 2 months.
-Grown organic traffic to around 30k, with roughly 15–20k coming from buyer-intent keywords.
-Taken a brand from basically zero visibility to ranking number one for buyer-intent keywords in around 7 months.
-Helped grow a business from nothing to the $40–50k/month revenue range.

Obviously, every business is different, and I'm not saying every project works the same way. But I've done this enough times now to know what I'm doing and what it takes to get results.

Now here's where I'm a bit stuck.

I'm currently working with a brand where I've hit the targets I've been given, but outside of my salary, I'm not really seeing the upside I was led to believe would be there. There were talks about getting a percentage of revenue, but whenever I bring it up, the conversation seems to get avoided.

And honestly, that's starting to get to me.

I'm not someone who jumps ship over every little thing. I've always believed in building relationships, being loyal, and doing good business. If someone trusts me with their business, I'll put in the work and try to make it grow.

But trust goes both ways. If I'm putting in the work, hitting targets, and helping grow something, I expect people to keep their word too. Once that trust is gone, it's hard for me to see a reason to stick around.

I also used to have an actual Meta rep I could speak to, which was useful when things needed sorting out. That got replaced with what feels like a useless AI bot, which is another reason I've been leaning harder into SEO instead.

At this point, I've got people reaching out to me about projects and clients all the time. I know there's demand for what I do, and I know I can get results.

The problem is that I'm getting tired of going back and forth with people, building relationships, putting in months of work, and then having to deal with awkward conversations when it comes to the money or promises that were made at the beginning.

I've spent 9 years building things for other people. I've helped brands go from having no visibility to bringing in tens of thousands a month, and I've learned a lot along the way.

But I've never really seen myself as the guy who owns the business. I've always been the guy behind the scenes making things happen for someone else.So I'm genuinely wondering if it's time to do my own thing.

Part of me thinks I should stop putting all this effort into building other people's businesses and start building something for myself. I know SEO, I understand how to grow brands, I've got the experience, and I know I can get clients.The other part of me knows that running your own thing is a completely different game. Getting results for a client and building a business of your own aren't necessarily the same thing.

For those of you who've been in a similar position, what did you do?

Did you keep working with clients and build your own thing on the side until it was stable, or did you just take the leap and go all in?

And for those who've gone from being the person doing the work to actually owning the business, was it worth it?

I feel like I've spent enough years building things for other people. Maybe it's time I put that experience into something of my own, but I'd like to hear from people who've actually made that jump.

What do you guys think?

Click to expand...

hamosfobli said:

I've been doing SEO for over 9 years now, and I've been through quite a few different niches and businesses over that time.

I started out working with dropshipping e-commerce stores, mostly in health and wellness, during the COVID boom. Things were crazy back then, traffic was everywhere, demand was high, and I ended up working with around 6 different brands. I'd jump into a store, work on growing it, hit the targets I was given, and eventually move on to the next one.

Back then, I was doing SEO and eventually got into Meta ads as well, mainly to help build brand awareness and get things moving faster.

After that, I pivoted into SaaS. Worked with chatbot apps, time management tools, fitness apps, self-help apps, AA-related apps and a bunch of other stuff. Different industries, different audiences, but the same general game of figuring out how to get people through the door and turn that traffic into actual customers.

Eventually, I came back to health and wellness because the demand was there and I knew the niche pretty well.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years is that timing matters.

I've been moving away from relying on Meta and focusing more on SEO again. There's a time and place for Meta, obviously, but I honestly don't think blindly throwing money at it is the move right now for every brand. It can become a pretty suicidal mission when the numbers don't add up.

I'd rather build something that has a solid organic foundation first, then use Meta to build brand awareness and support the growth.

SEO takes time, but once you get things moving, you're not completely dependent on paying for every single visitor. That's the whole point for me. Sustainable growth instead of being a one-hit wonder that disappears the second you turn the ads off.

Some of the results I've managed to get over the years:

-Taken a brand's Semrush Authority Score from 10 to 25 in around 2 months.
-Grown organic traffic to around 30k, with roughly 15–20k coming from buyer-intent keywords.
-Taken a brand from basically zero visibility to ranking number one for buyer-intent keywords in around 7 months.
-Helped grow a business from nothing to the $40–50k/month revenue range.

Obviously, every business is different, and I'm not saying every project works the same way. But I've done this enough times now to know what I'm doing and what it takes to get results.

Now here's where I'm a bit stuck.

I'm currently working with a brand where I've hit the targets I've been given, but outside of my salary, I'm not really seeing the upside I was led to believe would be there. There were talks about getting a percentage of revenue, but whenever I bring it up, the conversation seems to get avoided.

And honestly, that's starting to get to me.

I'm not someone who jumps ship over every little thing. I've always believed in building relationships, being loyal, and doing good business. If someone trusts me with their business, I'll put in the work and try to make it grow.

But trust goes both ways. If I'm putting in the work, hitting targets, and helping grow something, I expect people to keep their word too. Once that trust is gone, it's hard for me to see a reason to stick around.

I also used to have an actual Meta rep I could speak to, which was useful when things needed sorting out. That got replaced with what feels like a useless AI bot, which is another reason I've been leaning harder into SEO instead.

At this point, I've got people reaching out to me about projects and clients all the time. I know there's demand for what I do, and I know I can get results.

The problem is that I'm getting tired of going back and forth with people, building relationships, putting in months of work, and then having to deal with awkward conversations when it comes to the money or promises that were made at the beginning.

I've spent 9 years building things for other people. I've helped brands go from having no visibility to bringing in tens of thousands a month, and I've learned a lot along the way.

But I've never really seen myself as the guy who owns the business. I've always been the guy behind the scenes making things happen for someone else.So I'm genuinely wondering if it's time to do my own thing.

Part of me thinks I should stop putting all this effort into building other people's businesses and start building something for myself. I know SEO, I understand how to grow brands, I've got the experience, and I know I can get clients.The other part of me knows that running your own thing is a completely different game. Getting results for a client and building a business of your own aren't necessarily the same thing.

For those of you who've been in a similar position, what did you do?

Did you keep working with clients and build your own thing on the side until it was stable, or did you just take the leap and go all in?

And for those who've gone from being the person doing the work to actually owning the business, was it worth it?

I feel like I've spent enough years building things for other people. Maybe it's time I put that experience into something of my own, but I'd like to hear from people who've actually made that jump.

What do you guys think?

Click to expand...

AdventureSeeker said:

honestly with 9 years behind you i'd just go for it lol. you already know how to get traffic, building your own thing is the only part you haven't tried yet

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