Niche Pursuits Podcast: Find Your Next "Niche" Business Idea!

Denise Cruz shares how she pivoted after Google's Helpful Content Update wiped out her travel blog traffic and income, forcing her to rethink her entire business. In this interview, she breaks down how she went from earning about $6,000 a month from blogging to building a travel advisor business that grew to nearly $2 million in commissionable sales in just a few years.

She also explains the systems, sales funnel, client referrals, and EEAT-driven strategy that helped her gain traction fast with a service-based website. It's an inspiring and practical conversation for anyone wondering how to turn niche expertise into a more resilient business.
 
Sponsor: Quiet Light
Get a free, confidential valuation at https://quietlight.com/!

Links & Resources
Learn more about Denise: https://denise.travel/
 
Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter 
Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links?  Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper 
Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

In this episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Jared sits down with Corey Ganim to break down AI automation that drives results, starting with a simple ROI filter: effectiveness, efficiency, and customer experience. Corey shares his AOA sequence (Audit, Optimize, Automate) so you stop automating messy 12-step processes and start building repeatable systems with AI.
You'll hear the difference between AI agents and reusable skills and "speed to lead" replies. Walk away with three clear takeaways: how to choose the right workflows to automate, how to simplify them before automating, and how to build repeatable AI skills you can reuse across your business.
 
Sponsor: Quiet Light
Get a free, confidential valuation at https://quietlight.com/!

Links & Resources
Take the quiz to get your free AI action plan: https://returnmytime.com/quiz
Learn more about Return My Time: https://returnmytime.com/
Connect with Corey: https://x.com/coreyganim
 
Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter 
Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links?  Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper 
Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

In this episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Jared interviews Amy Aitman about what happened after Google's Helpful Content Update crushed their traffic and forced them to pause publishing and cut hundreds of contractors. Amy explains why Reddit now dominates so many search results, what brands should avoid doing there, and the steps she recommends taking right away.

She also shares her "three-legged stool" for visibility: Reddit participation, YouTube (including 50+ channels her team has built), and third-party editorial mentions. The episode closes with a clear example of what a visibility campaign can look like when you put those pieces together.
 
Sponsor: Quiet Light
Get a free, confidential valuation at https://quietlight.com/!

Links & Resources
Connect with Amy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyaitman/
Learn more about ScaleVisible - https://scalevisible.com/
Discover how ReddVisible can help - https://reddvisible.com/
Watch Amy's last interview with us - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQUNSUn1Pvw
 
Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter 
Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links?  Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper 
Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

In this episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Jared sits down with Jamie I.F. for a brutally honest look at the Helpful Content Update and how a ~40% traffic and revenue drop torpedoed a $1.55M site deal mid-sale. He shares what it felt like watching peak months near $100K turn into a much smaller baseline, and why he stopped chasing an SEO recovery and chose focus instead.
Jamie explains how a single customer saying they'd pay $2,500/month for an "affiliate finder" feature led him to spin it into affiliatefinder.ai, then grow with cold outreach (including ~1,000 emails) and paid ads. They cover metrics, pricing, 150 signups/week goals, and affiliate revenue.
 
Sponsor: Quiet Light
Get a free, confidential valuation at https://quietlight.com/!

Links & Resources
Check how AffiliateFinder works: https://affiliatefinder.ai/
Discover Answer Socrate and how it can help you: https://answersocrates.com/
Launch your SaaS affiliate program using Endorsely: https://www.endorsely.com/
Learn more about GainsApp: https://gainsapp.com/
Visit Jamie's free affiliate tracker for SaaS startups: https://increasing.com/
Watch Jamie's first interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7umFJyotZrY

 
Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter 
Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links?  Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper 
Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

In this episode, Nick Loper of The Side Hustle Show shares how he grew his podcast from zero to over 35 million downloads and 100,000 monthly listeners. He breaks down his listener pyramid strategy, how to turn strangers into superfans, and the tactics that helped him build a $10K-$20K/month sponsorship business.
Nick also dives into lead magnets, podcast SEO, paid promotion, and the email flywheel that skyrocketed his growth. You'll walk away with a full playbook for growing an audience, building an email list, and landing high-paying podcast sponsors.


Sponsor: Quiet Light
Get a free, confidential valuation at https://quietlight.com/!

Links & Resources
Visit the Side Hustle Nation: https://www.sidehustlenation.com/
Tune in to the Side Hustle Show - https://www.sidehustlenation.com/side-hustle-show/
Learn How to Monetize a Podcast - https://www.sidehustlenation.com/monetize-a-podcast/
Podcast Marketing Tips - https://www.sidehustlenation.com/podcast-marketing/
Answer this quiz to create your personalized playlist - http://hustle.show
Enroll in the Podcast Growth Playbook - https://www.startmysidehustle.com/p/the-podcast-playbook/



Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter 
Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links?  Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper 
Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative