20 People Who Started As Bloggers, Who Are Now So Much More!

Posted on 02. Sep, 2009 by Michael in Blogging

Hello Everyone,

Blogging has been great platform for so many people to become a huge success. Take me for example, because of my Retireat21 blog I was offered to host a hit new MTV show in LA just because they liked how I came across on my blog. Blogging isn’t just about making money online, for some people it could be because they want to be a best selling author but can’t get a foot in the door right now and for others it started just so they could pay there grocery bills. Today I have created a really cool list of 20 people who started blogging and now are so much more then just bloggers. Looking down at the list I have created today, I should really rename it the 20 best bloggers ever as these guys have set such high standards for all of us. Please note that the list isn’t really in any particular order, just the 20 best although I have to say Tucker Max’s story was one of the most entertaining.

If you would like to take the first steps to follow these bloggers and make it big then check out my FREE eCourse teaching you exactly how to build your first blog, drive traffic and make money!

20 Entrepreneurs Who Started With Blogging

#1 Tucker Max
		Tucker’s Blog Tuckermax Why He Started Blogging: Tucker Max was blogging about his drunken, womanizing exploits before the phrase “blogging” even existed. Tuckers blog attracts 100,000s of visitors weekly who like to read about his ‘interesting’ exploits and enjoy his amazing writing style. Where He Is Now: Because of Tuckers blog, he was able to get a book published which The New York Times called “…highly entertaining and thoroughly reprehensible…” no wonder it was in The New York Times best sellers list for 100 weeks. He is filming a movie based on his book/stories/life by the title “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” coming soon!

#2 Gary Vaynerchuk
		Garys’s Blog Garyvaynerchuk Why He Started Blogging: Gary Vaynerchuk’s story started as the co-owner of a wine store in New Jersey. He gained fame as the host of Wine Library TV, a video blog on the subject of wine, built his wine store into a multi-million dollar business and established his personal brand with TV appearances and speaking engagements around the world. Where He Is Now: He has now signed a seven-figure book deal about the things that made him as successful as he is in creating opportunities for himself via his video blog. He also is among one of the most sort after speakers for any marketing events.

#3 Collis Ta’eed
		Collis’s Blog Tutsplus.com Why He Started Blogging: Began his first blog, FreelanceSwitch, in 2006 with his wife Cyan in her parents garage when their first site wasn’t earning as fast as they expected. Where He Is Now: Collis is now one of the top earning bloggers in the world with over a dozen high traffic blogs, collis has been able to quickly launch new blogs because of such a rapid and loyal readership. Collis is able to work from anywhere in the world while he travels with his wife on new and exciting web projects because of the success of his blogging career.

#4 Mario Lavandeira
		Mario’s Blog Perez Hilton Why He Started Blogging: Mario has always loved intrigue and who better to showcase this than celebrities so his blogs started all about celebrity gossip. After graduation from New York University in 2000, Mario attempted to be an actor, but he end up working as a very well earned blogger because he thinks setting up a website like this “seems easy” unlike being an actor. He found his talent in riling up gossip and controversies about Hollywood figures and is one of the most infamous bloggers in the United States. There are actually two sides to it since he is hated by many Hollywood stars but is loved by millions of web patrons. Where He Is Now: Mario rides on both fame and infamy. In 2007, Mario announced that he would be starring in his own reality television show on VH1, titled “What Perez Sez”. He is also a regular on TRL, Much Music and Extra where he reports about Hollywood gossip from his own closet studio. In May 2008, he also launched his own radio show called “Radio Perez”.

#5 Michael Arrington
		Michael’s Blog Techcrunch Why He Started Blogging: He is a corporate attorney who left law to become a Web entrepreneur. When he took a year off, and returned to the work world, he started blogging as a way to understand the new Web start-ups that had arisen in his absence. TechCrunch took off, and he soon found himself an accidental power broker. Where He Is Now: Michael now spends his time scouting the internet and investing in some promising internet start-ups.

#6 Pete Cashmore
		Peter’s Blog Mashable Why He Started Blogging: Due to his inquisitive mind and great interest with web-related matters, Pete Cashmore focused solely on writing about MySpace and other social networks. One of Cashmore’s first articles that became instantly popular was, “If You Don’t Have A MySpace, You’re a Lametard.“ It was a unique approach to blogging, but it worked. Where He Is Now: Peter still does writes about everything happening on the Internet although he has slightly deviated from his focus on just social network news. Given the fame of Mashable, Peter has weaned himself from writing and has begun to concentrate on the entrepreneurial side of his web-business. To further strengthen his enterprise, Peter moved to California and focuses on West Coast operations. His success has brought him to celebrity status and he has been featured on many shows in the US and the UK. Peter also travels between the two countries as a consultant and speaker.

#7 Josh Marshall
		Josh’s Blog TPM Why He Started Blogging: Marshall started a blog called “Talking Points Memo” during the 2000 Florida election recount. He was inspired by political bloggers such as Mickey Kaus and Andrew Sullivan. Where He Is Now: Josh Marshall played an important part in exposing a scandal which involved the politically motivated dismissal of US Attorneys by the administration of George W. Bush. For that he was nominated by Arianna Huffington to the Time 100. After declining numerous offers to buy his company, Josh still operates it in Manhattan with a staff of seven reporters. Aside from managing, Josh also has established himself as a columnist for Washington DC newspaper, The Hill.

#8 Alborz Fallah
		Alborz’s Blog Car Advice Why He Started Blogging: Alborz has always had a great passion for cars. Curiously, he started out just like a few bloggers who wasn’t sure what topic to write about, so he created three blogs at once to see which one would stick. Sticking to his passion, he noticed that the car blog got the traffic so he dropped the other two and slowly built up his site off the back of his own content. Where He Is Now: Alborz sold some of his blog to investors and his blog became a real serious business that he finally left his job to focus 100% on his project. Capitalizing on his success, Alborz has shifted his focus from the web to other forms of media. He has now moved into DVD sales of his videos and doing podcasts. Of course, nothing will ever pull him away from his life’s greatest passion; cars!

#9 Robert Scoble
		Robert’s Blog Scobelizer Why He Started Blogging: Robert Scoble started blogging four years ago, when he worked for NEC, a Japanese technology company. His blog is all about a place where he could converse with NEC’s customers, give tech support and listen to feedback. He was always honest about the products, and his readership grew. Where He Is Now: Scoble and Shel Israel are currently writing a business bloggers book, called The Red Couch.

#10 Darren Rowse
		Darren’s Blog Problogger Why He Started Blogging: He started blogging just about 5 years ago, and it was just a hobby. After a year he began to experiment a little with advertising and affiliate programs on my blogs and discovered that they could actually make money! He began to record the things he was learning on the topic of making money from blogging on his personal blog. Where He Is Now: Darren’s success has earned him great fame and he was awarded the Best Web Development Weblog blog award in 2006 for ProBlogger. In 2007, he was also named in the Forbes Celebrity List. In the following year, Darren co-authored the book ‘ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six Figure Income (Wiley) and founded TwiTip – a blog dedicated to Twitter Tips. Preferring to live a simple life, Darren lives in Melbourne, Australia but does frequent traveling for numerous speaking engagements.

#11 Jeremy Schoemaker
		Jeremy’s Blog Shoemoney Why He Started Blogging: Starting with absolutely no capital, he educated himself and began building ecommerce sites to earn revenue. During this time, he started blogging his experiences at Shoemoney.com and then used the blog to springboard new companies like AuctionAds, which had one of the most impressive launches of any online advertising company ever. Through his blog, Jeremy provides advice on all areas of Internet Marketing, including SEO, affiliate management, blogging, and revenue strategies. Where He Is Now: Jeremy continues to launch new start-ups and also chronicles his adventures on his own blog site. Given his fame and expertise, Jeremy is a frequent speaker at search engine marketing and affiliate conferences, and co-founded the Elite Retreat conference.

#12 Tim Ferriss
		Tim’s Blog 4 Hour Work Week Why He Started Blogging: Tim being a productive guru had a message to convey and blogging was the means he deemed fit for his purposes. Being a neuroscience graduate, Tim has many innovative ways of looking at life and gives valuable advice on how to approach situations differently. His blogs are well-written and very thought provoking. It is a favorite among CEOs around the world. Where He Is Now: In 2007, Tim launched his book, The 4-Hour Workweek under Random House and marketed the book mostly among bloggers. The book launched him to stardom and he is now a guest lecturer at Princeton University and has spoken in hundreds of seminars and conventions.

#14 Timothy Sykes
		Timothy’s Blog Timothy Sykes Why He Started Blogging: After incurring great losses in his previous businesses, Timothy Sykes decided to write a book detailing his journey into managing the hedge fund and the lessons he learned from losing so much money. Capitalizing on the potential of the web, he then started a blog, with the goal of documenting the step by step process of turning another $12,000 into millions. Where He Is Now: Tim is now a writer for AOL Finance and has been featured on ABC, CNN, CBS, CNBC, FOX News, FOX Business Network, Reuters, Business Week to name a few. He also starred in the TV show, “Wall Street Warriors” on MOJO. His monthly blog income is in the 6 figures and this is definitely one young man who should be checked out!

#15 Steve Pavlina
		Steve’s Blog Steve Pavlina Why He Started Blogging: Steve is someone who started blogging about his take on LIFE and other personal development stuff, and now has one of the leading sites in that niche. Where He Is Now: On twitter, he says he is a human alarm clock. He awakens people who are sleeping through life. Steve Pavlina has been doing some research into the art of video, and playing around with making and editing sample videos. Eventually there will be videos on the Steve Pavlina site, and we would love to see a Steve Pavlina personal growth DVD product in the future as well.

#16 Lisa Stone
		Lisa’s Blog BlogHer Why she Started Blogging: Founded in February 2005 as a labor of love by three bloggers, BlogHer’s mission was to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. Where she Is Now: BlogHer reaches more than 14 million women monthly through its conferences, Internet site and publishing networks.

#17 Heather B. Armstrong
		Heather’s Blog Dooce Why She Started Blogging: She started her website in February 2001. A year later she was fired from her job for her website because she had written stories that included people in my workplace. When most people would fear the worse when hearing “your fired”, Heather just saw it as a challenge and took on blogging as a carerr. Where She Is Now: In October 2005 she began running enough ads on her website that her husband was able to quit his job and become a Stay at Home Father. Since running her blog she has found that she has a loyal readership and was able to publish two books so far.

#18 Jake and Amir
		Jake and Amir’s Blog CollegeHumor Why They Started Blogging: CollegeHumor started to posts blogs and articles through ideas form its staff and users, including humorous essays, comics, interviews and weekly columns on sports, video games, college life, and dating. Where They Are Now: Jake and Amir are now both making a lot of money from advertising on their site. In December 2008, College Humor.com proudly announced the premiere of the MTV Show “The College Humor Show”. Jake and Amir along with everyone else in their team wrote on the show and play fictionalized versions of themselves.

#19 Michelle Malkin
		Michelle’s Blog Michelle Malkin Why She Started Blogging: She started and still is focusing on creating blogs which are always form a conservative viewpoint. Where She Is Now: Malkin was a frequent commentator for FOX News Channel and a regular guest host of The O’Reilly Factor. She then quit, and concentrated on her writing, blogging and public speaking, although she still appears on television on occasion.

#20 Harvey Levin
		Harvey’s Blog TMZ Why He Started Blogging: He is an American television producer, lawyer, legal analyst and a celebrity reporter. His blogs started all about celebrity gossip since this is one of his passions. Where He Is Now: He still produces and hosts TMZ on TV. He is also a frequent guest of The Kevin and Bean Morning show, in addition to CNN’s Larry King Live, and recently the Fox News Channel and Local FOX Affiliates regarding Michael Jackson’s death.

#20 Yaro Starak
		Yaro’s Blog Entrepreneurs-Journey Why He Started Blogging: Started his first blog because he thought it would be good for SEO and a chance to talk about his business journey. Where He Is Now: Yaro found himself being one of the most respected bloggers and launched two blogging membership websites teaching people exactly how he has done it. Earlier in 2009 he launched a new membership site teaching how he makes money from membership websites. This guy is one entrepreneurial blogger you should all be following!

To Our Success,

Michael Dunlop

PS. Who’s background in blogging appeals most to you?

If you're really considering making a living through blogging, then you absolutely have to check out Blogging To The Bank by Rob Benwell. In his book, the UK millionaire blogger reveals step by step how he makes as much as $90,480 a month from just a few hours work.

For people ready to dive into a more premium guide, you should consider Blog Mastermind by Yaro Starak. Yaro teaches how you too can master the exact SYSTEM he uses to make a minimum of $10,000 to as much as $35,000 per month, blogging part time.

Tags: Alborz Fallah, Become A Blogger, Blogging From Home, Blogging Lifestyle, Collis Ta'eed, Envato Blog Network, Gary Vaynerchuk, Gary Vaynerchuk Book Deal, How To Blog, Internet Lifestyle, Josh Marshall, Lisa Stone, Michael Arrington, Pete Cashmore, Robert Scoble, Start Blogging, Top 20 Bloggers, Top Bloggers, Tucker Max, Yaro Starak

101 Responses to “20 People Who Started As Bloggers, Who Are Now So Much More!”

Andy

02. Sep, 2009

Great list mike!

Reply to this comment
Shane - Inspiring Your Success

02. Sep, 2009

What a great list. I agree that each of them deserve to be on the list, each for different reasons.

Reply to this comment
John

02. Sep, 2009

How about Belle de jour?

Hit TV show and book deals, newspaper columns and all without losing her anonymity

Reply to this comment
Wayne Liew

02. Sep, 2009

I follow most of the bloggers above and I have to say that they are not your average bloggers, they are also entrepreneurs that understand the business that they are in. Awesome list, as always…

Reply to this comment
Clinton Skakun

02. Sep, 2009

Hmm, looks like I need to blog more:D

Reply to this comment
Scott

02. Sep, 2009

Gary V has good advice and Darren has heaps of info! Definitely now much more than bloggers

Reply to this comment
Sarge

02. Sep, 2009

Great to see a couple of fellow Brisbanites in there in Darren and Yaro!

Reply to this comment
baloot

02. Sep, 2009

perez hilton not in listing? why?
i thought he was top blogger too..

Reply to this comment
- Michael
  
  02. Sep, 2009
  
  Hey Baloot,
  
  His real name is Mario Lavandeira – he is on the list, number 4!
  
  Michael
  
  Reply to this comment
Dave

02. Sep, 2009

I agree – great list. I didn’t realize College Humor was a blog – I have a friend who works there.

Reply to this comment
Yves

02. Sep, 2009

Great list Michael,

Since I started trying to learn more about blogging, building traffic and monetizing websites…. some of these I’ve been following for a while. Darren Rowse’s blog is priceless.

Thanks for posting!

Yves

Reply to this comment
Peter Godau

02. Sep, 2009

Oh inspiring list that just might have me at #21 let’s say in about 100 years. Great reading and now that’s 20 more i must follow.
GophSTAR

Reply to this comment
Liam

02. Sep, 2009

Nice list. Makes me want to start a new blog!

You should have accepted the MTV offer, just to see what happens

Reply to this comment
Thomas

02. Sep, 2009

Great List !

I could be a Top 30 list because of all successful bloggers like John Chow, iJustine, …

Reply to this comment
- Clement
  
  02. Sep, 2009
  
  I also wonder why John Chow has not been included. I think he is more successful than some of the folks on this list.
  
  Reply to this comment
  - Michael
    
    02. Sep, 2009
    
    Hey Guys,
    
    The post is about bloggers who started with blogging and then came a huge success and went into other types of business. For example Darren, Tucker, Heather and Gary all went on to write books because of blogging. John Chow is a huge success but his success isn’t writing a book or getting his own TV show, his success is make a heck of a lot of money from a “personal” blog.
    
    Hope that clears it up,
    
    Michael
    
    Reply to this comment
    - Clement
      
      03. Sep, 2009
      
      Okay.
      
      Reply to this comment
    - Dan Grossman
      
      04. Sep, 2009
      
      I don’t think he makes that much from his blog. It’s mostly show. When I paid to have some products reviewed on his blog, there was almost no traffic or sales from the posts. Nobody trusts what he writes or cares what he recommends. They subscribe only because someone told them he was a big name.
      
      John Cow, the John Chow parody blog, has a more loyal readership. Far fewer people yet far more clicks and sales from a blog post there.
      
      Reply to this comment
      - Michael
        
        04. Sep, 2009
        
        Hello Dan,
        
        I would have to agree with you there, I recently bought a review for $500 and got 250 clicks. I would of been better paying top wack on Google Adwords, at least that way my traffic would of converted for me. Not sure how he can have 59,000 Subscribers and only get me a few clicks.
        
        Michael
      - Benny
        
        06. Sep, 2009
        
        Well I came over from his blog and found yours, which is great by the way. But I don’t know how you didn’t get more clicks. 250 is really low. Has it gone up a lot more or just a little? For $500, I would expect a lot more.
        
        But great stuff here, I’ll be coming back often.
charlino

02. Sep, 2009

This is an excellent post, and your list is well composed. The only blogger missing from this list is the marketing guru, Seth Godin.

Reply to this comment
Mike T Nelson

02. Sep, 2009

Killer list of people and I loved learning about their backgrounds and how they got started. I love reading Tim Ferris’s blog and Gary V is great.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

Reply to this comment
Guy-Jacques

02. Sep, 2009

Great post Michael! Thanks for sharing

Reply to this comment
Jacques

02. Sep, 2009

Must say Michael, you showed me lots about blogging and I have to thank you but I found that your blog was becoming a bit boring. This article however puts the trust I had in you back on track. Great article. Inspires me and thank you

Reply to this comment
- Michael
  
  02. Sep, 2009
  
  Hello Jacques,
  
  I’m glad you enjoyed todays post but I do have a diverse readership and everyone likes different things. For example one of my favourite interviews was the one published on Monday with Ted Nicholas but a lot of people didn’t seem as interested as me. Everyone is different thats why I want to bring regular content in different ways so hopefully this will bring you content you are after.
  
  Thanks for sharing your concern Jacques, will try to publish more inspiration
  
  Michael
  
  Reply to this comment
Roseli A. Bakar

02. Sep, 2009

These guys are so inspiring….

It was Shoemoney’s adsense check to prompted me to started blogging.

Thanks Jeremy !

Reply to this comment
Ecko

02. Sep, 2009

Great list.
Learn so much more to motivate myself to reach my goals.

Reply to this comment
takemoneyfree

02. Sep, 2009

Great list it really inspire us thanks mike!

Reply to this comment
Cynthia

02. Sep, 2009

Love it-Very inspirational. My Hope is to be on one of your list within a year or two

Reply to this comment
Domingo Rogers

02. Sep, 2009

It’s very interesting to see no one on your list has made their way from blogging into vast riches and wealth in the area of commercial real estate.

Thanks Micheal for the great content and insights into those that have gone before us to set the standard of “success.”

Cheers ~

Reply to this comment
- Michael
  
  02. Sep, 2009
  
  Hello Domingo,
  
  I don’t think thats a very fair point to make. Why would you execpt a blogger to go into real estate? Blogging is about doing what you enjoy and have a passion for, not all about money. Money after all is just a by-product.
  
  Regards,
  
  Michael
  
  Reply to this comment
James Howard

02. Sep, 2009

Hey Michael,

I was just going to say it’s nice that these people started blogs because they wanted to share information because they enjoyed it, not just to make money from it (to start with anyway lol) but looks like you just stated that in your reply above.

So instead I will just say great post

All the best,
James

Reply to this comment
Ms. Freeman

02. Sep, 2009

I always thought #4 Mario’s real name was Perez. Thanks for clearing that up. LOL;)

Reply to this comment
Debi

02. Sep, 2009

Interesting article and bookmarked. Good references for starting my blog.

Would love to know why there are not more women on the list.

Thanks for posting this!

Reply to this comment
Tom - StandOutBlogger

02. Sep, 2009

So you never told us if you were talking the MTV deal!

Reply to this comment
- Michael
  
  02. Sep, 2009
  
  I declined Tom Wasn’t the right time, still got big plans for online. I’m sure there will be other great opportunitys for me.
  
  Michael
  
  Reply to this comment
  - Tom - StandOutBlogger.com
    
    03. Sep, 2009
    
    That is fair enough. You need to keep your focus on what is working for you. And obviously that is online
    
    Reply to this comment
Sergey Rusak

02. Sep, 2009

You forget to include Huffington Post by Arianna Huffington. As of today, it is the most popular blog.

Reply to this comment
- Michael
  
  02. Sep, 2009
  
  Hello Sergey,
  
  The post was more about people who got new kinds of success because of blogging. Arianna was successful wtih her political career before blogging otherwise I would of included her.
  
  Michael
  
  Reply to this comment
Ian

02. Sep, 2009

Inspirational!

Reply to this comment
Michael Torbert

02. Sep, 2009

Isn’t the obvious missing person Matt Mullenweg? He started blogging with no aspirations of creating the revolutionary blogging tool that you’re using here.

Reply to this comment
JB

02. Sep, 2009

Awesome list. I have been a big fan of about 75% of your list. Blogging has definitely gone mainstream and more of us are inspired to follow in these great bloggers footsteps. Thanks again for the list.

All the best

JB

Reply to this comment
Wakas Mir

02. Sep, 2009

Amazing list and so inspirational.. God bless

Reply to this comment
Valerie Williams

02. Sep, 2009

Very interesting list! I only read a small percentage of those who appear on this list, and because of that I wanted to bring your attention to Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge (http://www.designspongeonline.com/). She has a similar story that is very inspirational, but in a slightly different industry than most of those on your list.

Thanks for the great article!

Reply to this comment
Mark

02. Sep, 2009

This was definitely something I need to run across. I am a very new blogger and the stories here are very inspirational.

Reply to this comment
Mary Ann Halford

02. Sep, 2009

Just launched my own blogand find this very inspirational . . . regularly read many of these . . . but will make sure now to check out all of them. Thanks!

Reply to this comment
Alejandra

02. Sep, 2009

Great list, although it would have been great to see some of the big female bloggers who have done well for themselves. Wonkette or Julie Powell, for example. And I certainly hope to find myself on a list like that one day!

Reply to this comment
Ammon

02. Sep, 2009

No mention of Leo Babauta of Zen Habits fame? Fantastic blog, by a fantastic human being.

Reply to this comment
- Michael
  
  03. Sep, 2009
  
  Hey Ammon,
  
  Leo is the man but unfortunatly this isn’t the top bloggers list, that comes out in a couple weeks
  
  Michael
  
  Reply to this comment
Travis Tasset

03. Sep, 2009

Inspirational indeed…thank you!

Wish all fellow bloggers out there continued success…

Reply to this comment
Jenn

03. Sep, 2009

/sigh. oh, pete cashmore..

Reply to this comment
Oscar

03. Sep, 2009

Interesting how the list is 17 men and 3 women. I wonder why that is? Not being flippant – seriously thinking this through.

Reply to this comment
- Tiara
  
  04. Sep, 2009
  
  My guess is that because a lot of top female bloggers would be involved in other industries that wouldn’t be noticed by people predominantly seeking wealth through SEO. Arts, crafting, social enterprise, etc etc. Notice how a lot of the list don’t deviate greatly from web marketing.
  
  Reply to this comment
  - Michael
    
    04. Sep, 2009
    
    I don’t think you are right at all Tiara. The above people are successful because they took action and did it. Not many bloggers look at SEO much, they get traffic because of the content and value they provide.
    
    Also your comment regarding its a bunch of web marketing.. its hardly like that, only a few mention web marketing, they all just talk about what they know, from celeb news to wine.
    
    Michael
    
    Reply to this comment
Lynn

03. Sep, 2009

WOW. Inspiring. Thanks for pulling this list together.

Reply to this comment
Mike J

03. Sep, 2009

This is an amazing list largely from the diverse group of bloggers on it. Another top blogger on my personal list is Brian Clark of CopyBlogger.com his work in teaching the skill of copy writing has probably benefited some of the above bloggers. I really like your list posts here, I could handle seeing more.

Thanks,

Reply to this comment
Saundra

03. Sep, 2009

Great list. Interesting reading about how they started. I would love to have seen more women on the list so I guess I will have to step up and start blogging. Thanks for the inspiration.

Reply to this comment
Vijay

03. Sep, 2009

Hi Michael,
As usual, your lists are always good. They inspire me a lot as I have just begun on http://home4bucks.com
Your site sets great standards and brings me back to read success stories of top performers and top blogs. Infact your site also features on my preferred readings link on my page.

Keep it up Michael!

Reply to this comment
Issa

03. Sep, 2009

Out of 20, there were only 3 women. I wonder why that is? Is it because there are more men bloggers or more men readers? And again, the question – I wonder why that is.

Reply to this comment
winelirious

03. Sep, 2009

That’s great to give the opinions and write something on website and give something back. Anyway even some feedback make us (as a blogger) happy.

Reply to this comment
aravind

03. Sep, 2009

Amazing post.
Really inspirational… Thanks a lot

Reply to this comment
Shelley

03. Sep, 2009

I think there is more men simply because so many women bloggers are the *mommy bloggers*- myself included, and they might not have the opportunity to commit to blogging full-time. One of my personal favorites is Danielle Ice, of HomeEverAfter- http://www.homeeverafter.com/ -(previously HomemakerBarbi.) Her site is extremely popular, and she has created a business empire around it. Really great list, though, thanks for sharing.

Reply to this comment
Stuart Wooster

03. Sep, 2009

Great list, how the hell you keep churning great articles out as you do I don’t know! Hahaha!

Reply to this comment
- Michael
  
  03. Sep, 2009
  
  Hey Stuart,
  
  Great to hear from you as always, you know what, I always ask myself that question. I go to bed most evenings thinking what have I even done today for my business…. Must of done something if I can get so much content up I guess
  
  Michael
  
  PS. Beer with me and Daniel in Portsmouth soon?
  
  Reply to this comment
Alessandro Cosimetti

03. Sep, 2009

Stories are always very fascinating. I started blogging to supplement my salary.

Today I run 3 blogs, one personal, one centered on a corporate blog and on services for Italian cars, the company created with my brother.

Reply to this comment
JesusFreak

03. Sep, 2009

Brilliant!

I’m coming soon.

I started blogging over 1 year ago simply because i wanted to give words to my numerous thoughts to help people!

Reply to this comment
? I blog più redditizi del mondo | blog

03. Sep, 2009

[...] chiedendo dove voglia arrivare: questo pomeriggio ho letto un post di Michael Dunlop dal titolo 20 People Who Started As Bloggers, Who Are Now So Much More! dove racconta come siano nati 20 tra i blog più redditizi del [...]

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Klaus @ TechPatio

03. Sep, 2009

Nice list. I see there’s some people there I need to google about more about, many of them I’ve never even heard of before.

PS: I like how you skipped the number #13, I assume it was to avoid jinxing any of the persons

Reply to this comment
Danelle Ice (IS World Media)

04. Sep, 2009

@Shelley: Thanks so much for the plug and the compliment! We’re also missing John Chow and Chris Brogan, but 20 doesn’t leave room for everybody.

Cheers to Michael for putting this list together.

Danelle Ice / IS World Media

Reply to this comment
Chrysula Winegar

04. Sep, 2009

Really? Just three women out of 20 when the recent BlogHer conference blew pretty much everyone away and showed us all just how truly massive the blog world is for women and by women?

Reply to this comment
- Michael
  
  04. Sep, 2009
  
  Hello Chrysula,
  
  Some top bloggers are women but like I have mentioned in other comments, it isn’t a post of the top bloggers. Also if there are so many women who deserve to be on this list, please mention them as our content is well research.
  
  Michael
  
  Reply to this comment
Delords The Blogger

04. Sep, 2009

Great Work Micheal,
Am working on getting on that list by next year,
been doing some underground works over here

Keep it up.

Reply to this comment
Trudy

04. Sep, 2009

Gary V’s is the best one!

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Gary Vaynerchuk

04. Sep, 2009

Thank u so much, I am flattered to be on the list!

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James Holmes

04. Sep, 2009

Michael –

This is just a great collection of servant leaders a couple of whom I did not previously know. People who have emerged to lead by example like Gary Vaynerchuck inspire me to become more. Yaro, Pete Cashmore, and Darren Rowse have also challenged me to think about my business in new ways as I am a regular reader of their post.

Excellent contribution and greatly appreciated!

James

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karen

04. Sep, 2009

Great article. I was amazed how many of these I’m already following! How did they attract such a crowd to begin with?

Gives me great motivation.

Way to go guys and gals!

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fred mwabamba

04. Sep, 2009

hey mike, i hope this list will inspire my friend Lulu who has just started her blog

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NaniPrints

04. Sep, 2009

My initial purpose in starting a blog wasn’t to produce income, but I’m inspired by your list to learn more about those possibilities.

I’m a fairly new blogger who has been buoyed by the positive responses I’ve gotten to sharing my knowledge about printing. It’s rewarding to be learning new things at the same time, too.

From the number of us commenters who noticed that men on this list far outnumbered the women, it looks to me like you have a readymade topic for another list–focusing on some aspect of women and their blogging successes!

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RobbieLee at Chickiedee

04. Sep, 2009

What a great list of successful people! It really inspires you to stick to your passion, no matter what that might be, and good things will come.

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Scott

04. Sep, 2009

I can only dream that one day my blog will make me rich… I am a long long long way away from that happening!

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Gurus and Evangelists « Ms. Ileane Speaks

05. Sep, 2009

[...] Yesterday Word Press gave me a glimpse of the blogosphere guru I’ve been longing for Timothy Ferriss. I watched this awesome video Blogging Without Killing Yourself that gave me insights and a fresh approach to blogging. I might end up finding some other blog evangelists in the coming weeks, but I’ll never forget Tim because he was my first. I also found out that he has a talk on http://www.TED.com called Smash Fear, Learn Anything and I now I’m truly hooked. Tim is author of bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek, he’s credited with coining the phrase lifestyle design, has over 57,000 tweeps, and he is on the list of 20 People That Started as Bloggers, Who Are Now So Much More. [...]

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shirley

05. Sep, 2009

fantastic list – very inspirational; need to really get my act together and do better; add more value

thanks for the list

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Link Akhir Pekan Pertama September 2009: Mulai mitos SEO hingga tips menggunakan hobby menjadi profit

05. Sep, 2009

[...] http://www.incomediary.com/top-20-bloggers/ [...]

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Grace

06. Sep, 2009

Hi Michael,
I am just starting out blogging and this was timely. nice to meet you too, you should be on the list too.

Well I think we should be honest, passion versus profit, as you start out online you want to also make money and blogging is a platform. If all you do is write and only you are the one reading then who are you helping.

These blogger had to do some SEO and other marketing to get readers. If honestly they can say, I started out with my blog and also to make money….
Honestly.
Grace

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Mosul 4all blog

12. Sep, 2009

this is amazing how they start with idea and became deed and this deed became money
this is good strategy to earn

but the most hard of it is how to find the nitch !!!

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Andre Boykin

14. Sep, 2009

Very insightful post on how a whole new world of entrepreneurship is opening up through blogging. It’ great to know i can follow a pattern of success that has already been established.

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Webpage Lottery

18. Sep, 2009

They are my idols.
How come engadget is not here. I thought they are pretty big.

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Monique Schlosser

20. Sep, 2009

Thanks Michael for the free book. Looking forward to reading about all your great tips. I also wanted to let you know, that the list of people you have here, who have been successful blogging, gives me hope. I just recently started blogging myself.

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Jessica

24. Sep, 2009

It’s really amazing what blogging can do! Thanks for the great tips.

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Quam

25. Sep, 2009

Thanks for this great list! The people mentioned are very inspiring. I love the fact that the majority of them found a niche that they were passionate about and focused on sharing information first. There is nothing more priceless than a blog geared towards sharing information that readers benefit from in multiple ways. It is wonderful to know that the bloggers on this list were able to build on their blog’s brand. Substance and focus opens doors.

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Hassan

02. Oct, 2009

they were really great dedicated bloggers ….. i am a beginner blogger…if anyguy wanna help me please contact

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Colin Hiles ~ Midlife Maverick

06. Oct, 2009

This is a great list Michael, thanks for compiling it. Saves us newbies a lot of time to have the good and great on one site. It makes learning so much easier. Keep up the good work, very inspiring.

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Where were you at 21? (Entreprenuer Interviews) | Inside the Secret Life of a Super Affiliate - Zac Johnson dot Com

12. Oct, 2009

[...] In addition to RetireAt21, Michael also runs IncomeDiary.com, which focuses on “How Pros Make Money“, and has another directory of interviews, including Michael’s latest interview with me. A few of my favorite posts on this site are, Top Earning Blogs, Top 30 Dyslexic Entrepreneurs, and Blogging to Riches. [...]

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tukangpoto

15. Oct, 2009

Very inspiring for me as a newbie in this blogging world.
Thank you for sharing.

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taaniko

18. Oct, 2009

very inspiring..
i got a great motivation because of your post..

thanks a lot buddy

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yustana

20. Oct, 2009

Great post, this is what i’ve been looking for. Great reason for starting blogs

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yustana

20. Oct, 2009

a great list. i like it. you are much younger than me.. but you achieve a huge step away from me. well done mike

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Collier Ward

22. Oct, 2009

Michael,
I’m glad I found your blog. This list was so inspiring I wrote about it – and you – on my blog. My audience, such as it is, consists of fellow architects and designers. As a group we’ve not made much impact, but that’s why I highlighted your work here. Very motivating!
Keep up the good work!
Collier

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Robert Black

26. Oct, 2009

I am so impressed with the success that all of these entrepreneurs are having on the internet. I like what Gary Vaynerchuk said in one of his speeches. “One must focus on patience and passion. Stop doing what it is that you hate and start doing what it is that you have passion for.”

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London Accountants

04. Jan, 2010

The very interesting and motivational post about newbies. The new comers can follow them by keeping themselves ready to face hardships and consequently the real benefits of this work.

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Muhammad

05. Jan, 2010

Great list, keep these post coming in

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