Its amazing how your efforts can pay off - I have managed to get an interview with Jim Kukral author and creator of multiple, self sustaining websites. Jim is the former publisher of ReveNews, as well as an award-winning blogger and online marketer.
I was very excited to hear back from him and at such a fast rate too. Being an entrepreneur can be very time consuming, I know! I am glad and honored that I was able to grab him to waste spend some time with him answering questions for me and you!
Let us start.
Thanks for responding so quickly Jim and I am greatly honored to have an interview with you. I hope this can prove to other bloggers and marketers out there the impossible can be the possible. With that said let start with a simple open question.
Ian: Jim thank you for your time and letting me interview you at this time. Can you please introduce yourself to me and my readers and maybe how you got started on the internet?
Jim: I'm an online marketing veteran and long-time blogger. I spend most of my time creating fun online projects and promoting them using marketing techniques. I got started on the Internet in 1995. I had a choice between a job doing print ads, and a "new" thing called the Internet. I chose the Internet, and here I am.
Ian: I have decided to interview you today because I have found several of your sites interesting especially BigBrownBox.com, with so many sites and so many ideas how do you keep up and maintain them?
Jim: Well, I focus on building sites and projects that are kind of self sustaining. By that I mean I don't have to spend a ton of time messing with them. For example, the big brown box only works when people submit items to it. So there's really nothing to do except promote it in between taking items. Awesomemillion.com is like that too, but it's an ecommerce site and it's totally hands-free.
Ian: Sometimes for me I have to think or read about what I want to write on my blog. Jim how do you come about with these ideas, what keeps you thinking outside of the box?
Jim: I get all my best ideas when I'm washing the dishes, or working out or doing something totally mindless. The key is to write them down and prioritize them or you'll never do any of them. Once I make a list of them, I choose the ones that have the highest "fun" factor in relation to revenue generation possibilities. Most of the time the fun wins out though.
Ian: I also notice that you do consulting – there are multiple consulting services out there. For example there are bloggers that reach a peak in their income and then decide to take a step further by consulting others, how is your consulting services different and unique from the rest? (I have seen your youtube videos about your consulting)
Jim: I'm actually not doing much consulting these days. It takes up a lot of my time from working on my own projects. I do like doing it though because I like helping businesses find success.
Ian: In 2001 you were awarded with the Affiliate Summit Best Blogger award. How did that make you feel?
Jim: It was a great honor. I've been blogging since 2001 and I've been involved in the affiliate industry for the same time, so being selected by my peers meant something very special to me.
Ian: Another site that has got my attention was VideoNinjas. I noticed you have been using videos to market and entertain. How active and tiring can video marketing be?
Jim: www.videoninjas.tv is a weekly radio show that we put on every Tuesday at 4pm est on webmaster radio.fm. I'm into marketing with videos these days, so the show helps me talk about that. It's not that hard to make money using videos nowadays. I think a lot of people are scared of the work involved. But it's really easier than it looks.
Ian: I have recently started to do some videos on my blog – what beginners advice would you provide to me and others when starting to do video marketing?
Jim: Just make videos. Don't worry about production quality and script writing and all that fancy stuff right now. There are NO mistakes right now in this area. The more video content you can create today will benefit you down the line when you're miles ahead of big businesses and competitors who haven't even thought of it yet. Believe me, it'll be worth it.
Ian: With web 2.0 being so talkative and you doing video marketing, how did you come about or what made you decided to do video marketing as opposed to other marketing aspects?
Jim: Because with video I can pick up the home camera I have and start shooting. Combine that with the power of YouTube and I can have my message in front of billions of eyeballs very quickly.
Ian: I also assume that you get tons of emails, your website AsktheBlogger.com is a website where readers such as myself, ask you questions. How often are emails answered or better question: are all the emails answered by you personally?
Jim: I personally answer each email at Asktheblogger.com. But sometimes it's weeks before I answer due to my workload. I need to get better at that. But the site is fun and it helps people so I keep it up as fast as I can. Need to get some more videos up there.
Ian: On your blog, you put your information out in the open. Are you scared of the bots that may pick up this information and use it for spam purposes? I understand you want readers to get in contact with you easily, why not use a form?
Jim: I have 22 emails addresses, all of which get tons of spam. I'm used to it. It's part of the game. Especially nowadays.
Ian: With so many websites and ideas – which website can you say is your best one and why?
Jim: Hmmm. I still love www.awesomemillion.com. It's such a fun waste of time, and it's all automated. It makes people smile, and me laugh every day, so it's my favorite.
Ian: I notice you have done so many interviews with other more important bloggers. Which of the many interviews do you think was your most memorable?
Jim: Getting interviewed by Darren Rowse on Problogger.net is always a thrill. Yaro Starak also does a great interview. Andy Wibbels... many more.
Ian: Lastly you did an interview with ProBlogger about your popular BlogKits. How did that make you feel? How much more popular did BlogKits become after the interview with Darren?
Jim: The problogger review blew my sign ups out of the water. In fact, I got more signups from that mention than I did from my Techcrunch mention.
Ian: I have Googled search “Interview Jim Kukral.†There are so many other bloggers out there that have interviewed you with more traffic and more experience than me, may I ask, if you do not mind why you have accepted my request?
Jim: Because you asked. Look, I'm all about helping people. I want to see people succeed. If you have good quality online content, and you're not a spammer, and you're not trying to fool people, then by all means I'm available to lend you a hand when I can.
My OverAll Lesson from the Interview:
Jim Kukral is a great innovative person. Having multiple sources of income is key to becoming wealthy and Jim has several websites that are self sustaining which provides him income. The last question proves to me that there are marketers and bloggers out there with high respects that are willing to help others. Jim has proven to me to just to do it because if you have an idea, you need to capture it. Jim and his multiple sites I can imagine is very busy - but having the time to sit and get interviewed by me is time well spent, as it provides me more insight about Jim and his success.
This means that by simply asking others you can get feedback. I have asked popular bloggers and at least gotten a responses back stating they would have to decline, a simple response like that means they took the time to read my email maybe even thought about my question asked.
Other bloggers I have contacted for an interview or help do not even reply - just browsing their email inbox without thought, but I can imagine they are very busy and may not have time to answer all emails.
Also, I can relate to Jim in the aspects of helping others as I tend to answer emails thoroughly and provide my feedback to others. I have answered multiple emails with length and even help bloggers with their layout. Bloggers have donated some funds to me for helping them with their startup blogs or even questions that I have answered with out the jibber jabber trash. As Jim stated "...you're not trying to fool people..." then a helping hand is within reach. Thanks again Jim!
