The Rise and Rise of Nate Whitehill
One of the many tips you’ll hear in business and in blogging is to try and make as many online pals as you can and to network within your niche.
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
The above quote holds true in so many ways - contacts can be used as leverage for future projects, or for getting the word out about your latest post, or for asking for a friendly Digg. But more importantly, it’s nice to know people online who share similar traits and characteristics.
I started talking to Nate by email and I got hold of his instant message address and hit him up with a message after I had come across his blog a couple of times - Nate Whitehill dot Com. In true entrepreneurial spirit he named the website after himself - and already he’s just about hitting the 500 mark in RSS subscribers after only 6 months!
The first thing that grabs you upon entering the site, are testaments to Nate’s success. His RSS count, his Technorati links but most importantly, he has a picture of himself. This definitely helps to add a character to his writings and no doubt adds to his credibility in the ever-widening blogosphere.
Whilst I’m not sure whether Nate uses a custom theme or a readily available one, he has definitely kitted it out with all the mod cons. The image which you can see above is featured in his header section - and as he describes in his post “What Does Your Header Image Say About You?“:
There is a picture of two roads, a highway and an exit, separating to form two distinct paths. No one is present on the highway, which to me conveys freedom and mastery. The beautiful sky and terrain are inviting, suggesting limitless possibility. I feel like that is where I am at in life right now: more than any time previously, the master of my fate, cruising at a good speed down the road of progress.
My header section contains only my logo and nothing really personal - maybe this is something which I should work on in order to give my readers a sense of me and the author behind the blog.
Nate has recently added another large addition to the header section which contains an area for Popular Posts, Recent Articles and something which I am particularly interested in, a newsletter for Online Businessowners. With the ever imminent launch of my new site (more to come on that very soon) I’ve wondered what the best way to pick up new members to your audience is. Yaro demonstrated the power of building a list in the leadup to his Blog Mastermind opening which had amazing effects for signups.
Recently, Mr Whitehill and his room buddy Josh Mullineaux have started making videos in order to get the message across. In his latest vid (which you can see below), the duo describe the steps you should take when leaving your job and Nate also probes at the question “What did you wish you knew when you started blogging and which tools did you wish you had known?”
I wish I hadn’t started on a Blogger domain and had written more content per week, than the dribs and drabs I used to be churning out.
Ever since Version 2 of Blogtrepreneur was released, I’ve looked at ways on capitalising on Private Advertising opportunities. This article on How To Sell Your Blog’s Advertising helped so much, and the theory learnt have seemed to pay off for Nate as well, who has many text link ads in his sidebar at $30 per month. For a PR5 blog which is likely to become a PR6 in the next Google dance, this is a very keen price, so get one or an image ad quick!
Another awesome post which generated some publicity from the likes of Problogger include 7 Ways To Get Readers to Stick and 5 Steps You Must Take Towards Self-Employment which I know will be a big hit amongst my website owners and entrepreneurs.
Finally, Nate owns his own Web Design company at InfinFX. Be sure to check it out if you’re in need of a custom blog design as Nate recently redesigned his buddy Josh’s site. And don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter over at Unique Blog Designs which will hopefully be released in the next few weeks.
To conclude, Nate Whitehill seems to be on his way to the top. With a really cool community and a subscribership which is growing by the day, I really think he’s got what it takes in a ’sphere full of ordinary blogs. Subscribe to his feed to keep watching!
Nice to see you guys making a connection, I’m trying to do that with more guys on the web
The phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” used to trouble me because I thought it meant you had to be on the inside of a club or you couldn’t succeed.
Maybe this was true at one point, but what I have come to understand is that it truly is about building relationships plain and simple.
It is about having a network of people you know with varying degrees of skill and insight. It’s about being able to contribute to their success while they help you do the same. It’s about finding value and giving value.
So today I look for people who are willing to serve others and who are able to accept help. Strong relationship breed success because they are already successful from the start.
Keep up the great work.
Charles McKeever
OpenSourceMarketer.com
Being successful is all about having a network of informative people. We can all learn a lot from one another, which will contribute to our individual success.
Hen Glen - yeah I hit Nate up via IM and have talked to him since then. We figured swapping reviews would help both our sites seeing as how we have similar audiences. My advice would be to comment first at the blog (usefully) and then hit the person up via email - that way they’ll appreciate you adding to the content of their site too.
Charles - thanks for the awesome comment. You definitely don’t need to be in any club. Even a newbie blogger who needs advice could turn out to be the best contact in the world if he has determination. Look for those who are similar to yourself, and use them to meet other like-minded people.
@ Dennis - thanks for dropping by buddy. Exactly, couldn’t have said it better myself
I’m a regular reader of Nate’s site and agree his style alone says volumes about his mindset.
Hey Adnan, thanks for the awesome write up. It is amazing how blogging has united me with such a diverse group of like-minded people. I think that is one of the biggest benefits to blogging - to connect similar people.
Adnan, you have an awesome blog and I am glad that we have been chatting and sharing ideas with each other.
Congratulations on your success, so far, and here’s to the next 600 readers! Cheers!
Nate
Hehe yeah Nate’s def got style Angie!
@ Nate - no probs buddy. I know, blogging is really amazing once you put away the money aspect (which can be good too). The networking power you can gain whilst being a blogger is phenomenal.
Congrats too on your successes of reaching 500 subs and here’s to making 1000 in the next few months.
Nate is great. And at eight, it will be his fate to go through the gate!
Sorry…
But he is a great blogger.