Snack-Sized Business News for Millennials

Notes from Chris

Episode 716

A lot of business news just isn’t appealing to younger readers. Bloomberg has been having a hard time getting millennials to read its website. Fidelity Investments couldn’t get them to understand all the financial lingo. The Wall Street Journal can seem like an old-fashioned club that only the elite belong to.

Even as professionals in the world of finance, Nicolas Martell and his roommate, Jack Kramer, didn’t enjoy reading up on the latest news—but they didn’t have a choice. Keeping up with developments was important in their banking jobs.

One day the two met up at Old Town Bar in New York before walking back to the apartment. They talked stocks, economics, spreadsheets—the usual—but they also dreamed of a project. What if they created a business news media company that could be understood by millennials?

Nobody had easily-digestible market news. They knew they could make such a thing, and they called it MarketSnacks.

Their plan was to publish a blog with daily news stories that were relevant and understandable. All they needed was a simple website and an email provider, so the monetary startup costs were almost non-existent. And in just a couple weeks, MarketSnacks came to life.

But the hustle did cost a lot to start ... in time. Nick and Jack blocked off multiple hours before and after their day jobs to plan, write, edit, and publish content. It was an intensive project—and it required their focus every day.

The work paid off. In just a few weeks, MarketSnacks had a couple hundred daily readers. The idea was being validated with each new visitor to the site who turned into a regular reader.

MarketSnacks has evolved a lot over the years. In 2017 the duo launched a podcast, in early 2018 they raised outside funding, and later in the year they became full-time content creators.

With the sponsors they have, they’re making a lot of money. But according to Nick, the money’s not the best part—otherwise he wouldn’t have done it for nearly three years without pay.

The greatest rewards are the 5-star podcast reviews and email testimonials that indicate MarketSnacks is successful helping a generation understand business and finance news in a way that’s never been done before. Hustling in the dream job full-time—well, that’s a nice perk, too.

 

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• MarketSnacks: Interested in the business world but finding that you don't have the time to stay up to date? Get your daily business news over on Nick and Jack's website!
• Fidelity Investments, Betterment, Robinhood, & LinkedIn: Some of the partners that Nick and Jack secured for MarketSnacks

 

SEE ALSO:

• Financial Blog Sprouts into $35,000/Month Money Tree: A registered nurse and financial manager start a blog for millennials. After a rough beginning, they figure out their audience and go on to earn tens of thousands of dollars a month
• Marathon Runner Earns Full-Time Income Trying On Shoes: A decade-long “marathon distance” project earns six-figures in affiliate commissions for this patient runner
• Nomadic Designer Profits from Writing About Life in a Bag: When a designer quits his job at Apple to travel the world, he realizes that his nomadic lifestyle hacks are a hot topic—and a profitable one, too

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,