5 Ways My Money-Making Website Changed My Life, Both Personally and Professionally
By Nick Usborne

There’s nothing like major milestones to prompt you to reflect on how things are going.

And … drum roll please …

In just a few months – January 2026 – my money-making website about coffee will be 20 years old. Incredible!

The site, CoffeeDetective.com, has been a positive part of both my personal and professional life in many different ways.

I love coffee, I write about it as a hobby, and this "hobby" puts money in the bank every single month!

Pretty amazing, right?

And here’s the thing … you can do the exact same thing for yourself and your own family.

Check out this list of just five of the ways my website about coffee has changed my own life for the better … both personally and professionally.

1. My site has paid me over $450,000 in passive income.

Not bad for what is essentially a hobby site!

But before you run out and put money down on a beachfront summer house, keep in mind that the site has been generating income for almost 20 years!

Also, some of the traditional sources of income for a hobby website have now shifted into a new phase.

It's now less about running ads and affiliate links, and more about increasing your income by exploring different revenue streams.

The money is still flowing in, but through different channels.

As an example, when we get to #5, you'll see how using AI to write a series of consumer guides can generate a new and very nice stream of income. Passive income.

And here’s the thing. You DON’T have to be a professional writer to do this. You don’t even have to be a “good” writer. If you can write a Facebook update, you can write a website.

That’s right … YOU can do this too! :)

2. My site has made me a better writer.

I make my living as a writer. I’ve been a freelance copywriter for 40 years now, and I’ve been writing for the Web for over 20 years.

So yes, I continue to learn my craft when working on client projects.

But to be honest, I have learned even more from writing my CoffeeDetective website.

When I’m writing something for a client I get to see, understand, and work within a very narrow slice of their larger business. I’m writing just a sales page, or just a series of emails. And so on.

But when I’m writing pages for my coffee site, I’m doing it as part of the entire site, and its newsletter, and its social media channels.

So I not only get more and more practice as a writer while creating new content for the site, but I’m also developing a deeper understanding of how everything fits together … how it all works in concert.

As a result, my writing gets better.

What’s cool about this is that I’m being paid to improve my writing!! The more pages I write for my coffee site, and the better they are, the more passive income I make from all those new pages.

It’s like taking an MBA in writing for the Web … and being paid for it too!

3. My site has made me a better digital marketer.

Becoming a better writer is just part of it.

I’ve also become a much better online marketer.

Every page I write is optimized for the search engines. As a result, I’ve made sure I keep up with the latest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and apply it to every page I create.

I also optimize my pages for social media and use several social media platforms to support the website … like X, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube. Some of my coffee videos have been watched hundreds of thousands of times!

The result? Working on my hobby site, and earning an income from it every single month, has also made me an expert in social media.

How about newsletter marketing? Same thing. I have a newsletter for my coffee site.

How about improving your photography skills? Check. I have taken and edited hundreds of coffee-related photos.

Each day, I see ads and promotions for improving skills in various areas of digital marketing. And each time I think, “Done that. I learn that every day while working on my own website.”

Truth be told, working on my coffee site has been my #1 source of learning across the board when it comes to copywriting and online marketing.

Beyond just being a source of learning, creating your own website is actually the very BEST way to learn.

Book learning is okay. Learning from an online course is good. But nothing compares to learning while DOING. When you learn by doing something, that knowledge sticks. You really remember it.

And yes, this leads directly to making more money as a digital writer!

4. My site has provided me with proof of expertise.

When you create a website of your own, you are also creating the ultimate business card or brochure for your online copywriting business.

Imagine if I wanted to do some work for a coffee company, and they asked me if I had any knowledge or expertise in the coffee business.

Errr … YESSS!

This has actually happened to me.

A few years ago, I got an email from the marketing director of a local coffee company. He had heard of me as a copywriter, but wanted to know if I knew anything about the coffee industry.

I sent him a two-line reply that included a link to my CoffeeDetective website.

15 minutes later, he wrote back and said, “Let’s meet!”

And why not? My website is solid proof of expertise.

A quick look through my site demonstrates that I know the industry, I know what coffee lovers are looking for, I understand the role of social media, I can optimize a page for the search engines … and so on.

When you have a Money-Making Website that is related to the work you do professionally … that site becomes the ultimate proof that you know what you’re doing.

Instead of TELLING a client you can do the job and have the expertise … you’re SHOWING it, with solid proof.

You don’t have to create a Money-Making Website for this purpose. If you want, your site can be a stand-alone source of pleasure and passive income.

But if you have a passionate interest in the niche you work in, and create a related website … that’s powerful proof you can use when reaching out to prospective clients.

5. My site has helped make me an expert at using AI.

As you know, AI is everywhere these days.

It's getting to the point where as writers and creators, we HAVE to keep up to speed. When working with clients, many companies now have policies that their employees and suppliers are REQUIRED to demonstrate expertise in using AI, for a range of use cases.

Sure, you can take some more courses about AI.

But as with everything else I've been talking about, the best way is to learn by DOING.

I use AI for my coffee website all the time.

I use it for research and ideation.

I ask it to suggest new topic and page Ideas.

I use it to write new article drafts.

I use it to create logos, images and designs.

I use it to edit images.

The more I learn to use AI, the faster I can grow my website … and make it look better too.

Plus … AI can help you monetize your money-making website in new ways. Like using AI to help write a whole series of consumer guides to coffee making, which I can sell on my site.

And … for my client work, I can show I'm ahead of the crowd when it comes to using AI.

Wrapping it up …

My adventure with my coffee website has been amazing. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it … and I’m not done yet.

It’s been about income, about learning, about becoming better and better at what I do.

And this is the same skill set I’ve been teaching my students for many years now.

Here’s the thing … The BEST thing …

None of my students started out as “website building” experts.

They weren’t experts on day one, and you don’t need to be either.

That is what’s so remarkable about this.

This is an opportunity for anyone and everyone. You included!

What questions do you have about creating extra income with your own Money-Making Website? Post them in the comments so we can help.