I interviewed Spencer Haws, founder of NichePursuits.com and Link Whisper. What started out doing side hustle projects turned into a thriving business. What did Spencer do to build his business successfully? How did he choose the industry to work in? What were his keys to success?

Spencer lays out these details in our virtual interview with some world-class insights on becoming a successful entrepreneur. You can also view clips from my interview with Spencer Haws on YouTube here.

How Spencer Haws Started NichePursuits.com

Back in about 2006, Spencer started out learning how to build websites and publish content online. While working full time at a major bank, he grew his knowledge about online businesses and built a loyal following within his niche topic.

Over the years, his online publishing business flourished into multiple websites producing multiple income streams, with NichePursuits.com being his main focus and success.

In 2011, his business was growing at a rate where he was confident he could quit his day job. Since then, Spencer has been building a large audience of like-minded individuals about online businesses and tips for success with NichePursuits.com.

How Spencer Expanded His Business With Helpful Software Tools

A common benefit of being an entrepreneur and small business owner is witnessing common problems that need solutions to make life easier. Being an owner of multiple websites, you start to learn the ropes of how search engines work and what helps your website get noticed by major search engines.

One common strategy is through building internal links. This means including links on one page or article that links to another page or article on your website. However, there is one pitfall – it often takes a lot of time and effort to do.

Spencer noticed this problem and saw that other website owners had the same issue. After hard work, he built a software product called Link Whisper, which streamlines the process of building internal links on your website while providing additional data and analytics tools.

Link Whisper is used by thousands of online websites today and has become a large business in and of itself, apart from his online publishing business.

Then VS. Now

Spencer began in 2006 as a curious entrepreneur looking for ways to provide real help to people online. His hard work paid off over the years, turning into real money and a thriving business.

What started as a side hustle has turned into two major companies – NichePursuits.com and Link Whisper – that provide Spencer with a very healthy income and the ability to employ multiple employees and contractors.

What I've Learned From Spencer Haws' Success

A virtual interview with Spencer from NichePursuits.com and Link Whisper has taught me a wealth of knowledge from a credible entrepreneur. Here is a few important things that I took away that apply to all entrepreneurs.

How To Find A Ripe Industry For A Successful Business

When asked how he came up with the idea to build a software tool for websites, and why he chose the publishing and software industries, Spencer's response was about as simple as it gets. He would never have come up with the idea for a software company like Link Whisper if he wasn't intimately involved in the industry. He noticed a common problem in that industry and worked hard to develop a solution.

It's not rocket science, but its a question many entrepreneurs often make too complicated and overlook the simple solution – find a problem and solve it!

What About Having A Mentor Or Advisor?

Many wonder whether having a mentor plays a vital role in being a successful entrepreneur. While this may be the case for many, Spencer did not have a specific mentor he networked with. Instead, he attributes his success to networking with many people within his industry regularly and learning from them.

Why limit your options to just one person when you can network with a whole group of them through meet-ups, Facebook groups, and virtual workshops/summits? That's exactly what Spencer did, and it seems to have worked well to his advantage.

How Do You Find And Use Critical Resources To Grow Your Business?

When starting your business venture, funds are often limited. I asked Spencer how he found critical resources to grow his business. His response was, again, simple but profound.

“I use a lot of free tools. [I use] Google sheets, Google docs, there's so many free tools out there. So many businesses are spending money that they don't need to spend.”

Spencer Haws – NichePursuits.com

Learning From Mistakes

One of Spencer's biggest problems, and one that he still often finds to be an obstacle, is finding and hiring great employees. Many employees don't have their heads in the right place or on the same page, and as a result, don't perform as expected.

He said finding and hiring the right employees is crucial to building your business. This is one of the biggest obstacles and past mistakes that he has learned from overtime.

What Advice Spencer Has For Ambitious Entrepreneurs

“My advice would be to find a true problem that customers have and make sure that you're really solving that problem.”

Spencer Haws – NichePursuits.com

There you have it, folks. All it takes is finding a true problem – preferably in an industry you are very familiar with – and work tirelessly to solve that problem. I couldn't have said it better myself!

To learn more about Spencer's companies, visit NichePursuits.com and LinkWhisper.com.