Dave Kaminski – Storytelling for Internet Marketers

Irvin Cornthwaite was a chemist by trade.  In his early fifties, Irvin had spent much of his adult life developing compounds for the construction industry.

In 2004 Irvin had an idea.  Maybe, he thought, he could help builders save time and money by sharing his knowledge of construction compounds.  Provide them with a “missing manual” (so to speak) for the products they used every day.

Problem was, Irvin was a chemist, not a businessman.  So he hired some help.  Along with learning whatever he could himself.  After four and a half months and some very long nights, he had a website and the first version of his manual.  He planned on selling it for $200.

The Early Results

In his first year online, Irvin generated $34,000 in sales.  While terrific for someone just starting out, it wasn’t nearly enough to replace his full-time salary as a chemist.  And as the days and months passed, Irvin began to get caught up in everyday life and spent less and less time on the site, until he finally stopped working on it altogether.

This continued for 10 years, as Irvin’s website sat untouched.  But it was still making sales.  In fact, Irvin continued to earn an average of $21,000 a year from the site.