9 min
Internet Wizardry with Scott DeLong The Principle Podcast
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- Self-Improvement
What comes to mind when I say the words ‘financial independence’? Maybe…
* Building a big company
* Recruiting a team
* Pitching investors in stressful meetings
What if I told you financial independence was achievable by building cool websites that make money? And, as a team of one.
My guest today is Scott DeLong. Scott has an inspiring story of escaping the rat race and finding freedom on his own terms: fully remotely, no raising capital and no mindless busy work.
Scott has a passion for writing timeless content that resonates with its audience. He’s developed an understanding of human psychology not by reading books, but by tinkering with marketing campaigns that have generated billions of page views and tens of millions in revenue.
This episode is a bit different. Instead of recording a conversation, I sent Scott a few questions that I wanted his perspective on. Here are his thoughts about creating timeless content.
Subscribe for free to get more stories like this straight to your inbox 📨
Q: Why build in stealth for so long? What eventually led to you opening up about your journey?
A: Since 2005 when I started making money online, I’ve just always been very private about what I’m doing. I never felt the need to talk about it, and it was always difficult to explain it. People just assumed I was a web designer for years, including my own family.
When journalists dug me up after the explosion of Viral Nova, I briefly tried to embrace it… but it wasn’t enjoyable. The site was slightly controversial and the attention was really stressful for an introvert who just likes to build.
Recently, with the birth of my daughter, I’ve thought more about my legacy and what I want to contribute to the world. And the number one thing I can contribute is this skillset – so that’s why I’ve opened up now.
Q: How do you fight feeling like you have to create content, but have NO inspiration?
A: You really need a driving force to combat that. I was very obsessive through my 20s about reaching financial independence by the time I turned 30. The drive was so strong that, even on days I was burnt out, it just didn’t matter.
The end goal was stronger than the lack of inspiration, so I’d just push through and ultimately find inspiration.
It’s different now at age 40. It’s much harder to find inspiration when I don’t need to find it. That’s why I’m focusing on my number one passion: the process of building a business, not so much building a business. But of course this is a business in itself!
Q: Is your motivation helping people? If not, what is it (other than financial independence, which you’re reached)?
A: Yes, helping people is a huge motivator. I genuinely love receiving emails from people who have learned something. I guess you can call that ego-driven but, whatever it is, it works.
I’m not sure if you’re aware of Financial Samurai, but I basically want to be the website builder version of him. His personal experiences and knowledge really shine through in his writing, and you can tell it’s effortless because he really loves it.
Same here, so it’s win-win for me and my readers.
Q: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve ever been given? What are your general thoughts on advice?
A: My dad is a small town businessman, and I realized later in life how many small things he said added up. He’s a believer in paying attention to the details and the psychological effects on your customer when you go the extra mile. He instilled a work ethic in me without even really trying.
As far as the worst advice, I’m not sure. I tend to think what a lot of teachers and guidance counselors said during high school, but it’s not really their fault. It’s all they knew to suggest and they’ve never broken out of the norm, so I can’t expect them to advise anyone else to do so.
Generally though, advice is thrown around far too much. Too many people without all the details give their opinion, and it
What comes to mind when I say the words ‘financial independence’? Maybe…
* Building a big company
* Recruiting a team
* Pitching investors in stressful meetings
What if I told you financial independence was achievable by building cool websites that make money? And, as a team of one.
My guest today is Scott DeLong. Scott has an inspiring story of escaping the rat race and finding freedom on his own terms: fully remotely, no raising capital and no mindless busy work.
Scott has a passion for writing timeless content that resonates with its audience. He’s developed an understanding of human psychology not by reading books, but by tinkering with marketing campaigns that have generated billions of page views and tens of millions in revenue.
This episode is a bit different. Instead of recording a conversation, I sent Scott a few questions that I wanted his perspective on. Here are his thoughts about creating timeless content.
Subscribe for free to get more stories like this straight to your inbox 📨
Q: Why build in stealth for so long? What eventually led to you opening up about your journey?
A: Since 2005 when I started making money online, I’ve just always been very private about what I’m doing. I never felt the need to talk about it, and it was always difficult to explain it. People just assumed I was a web designer for years, including my own family.
When journalists dug me up after the explosion of Viral Nova, I briefly tried to embrace it… but it wasn’t enjoyable. The site was slightly controversial and the attention was really stressful for an introvert who just likes to build.
Recently, with the birth of my daughter, I’ve thought more about my legacy and what I want to contribute to the world. And the number one thing I can contribute is this skillset – so that’s why I’ve opened up now.
Q: How do you fight feeling like you have to create content, but have NO inspiration?
A: You really need a driving force to combat that. I was very obsessive through my 20s about reaching financial independence by the time I turned 30. The drive was so strong that, even on days I was burnt out, it just didn’t matter.
The end goal was stronger than the lack of inspiration, so I’d just push through and ultimately find inspiration.
It’s different now at age 40. It’s much harder to find inspiration when I don’t need to find it. That’s why I’m focusing on my number one passion: the process of building a business, not so much building a business. But of course this is a business in itself!
Q: Is your motivation helping people? If not, what is it (other than financial independence, which you’re reached)?
A: Yes, helping people is a huge motivator. I genuinely love receiving emails from people who have learned something. I guess you can call that ego-driven but, whatever it is, it works.
I’m not sure if you’re aware of Financial Samurai, but I basically want to be the website builder version of him. His personal experiences and knowledge really shine through in his writing, and you can tell it’s effortless because he really loves it.
Same here, so it’s win-win for me and my readers.
Q: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve ever been given? What are your general thoughts on advice?
A: My dad is a small town businessman, and I realized later in life how many small things he said added up. He’s a believer in paying attention to the details and the psychological effects on your customer when you go the extra mile. He instilled a work ethic in me without even really trying.
As far as the worst advice, I’m not sure. I tend to think what a lot of teachers and guidance counselors said during high school, but it’s not really their fault. It’s all they knew to suggest and they’ve never broken out of the norm, so I can’t expect them to advise anyone else to do so.
Generally though, advice is thrown around far too much. Too many people without all the details give their opinion, and it
9 min