Interview With Alborz Fallah – Founder of CarAdvice.com.au

By: Michael Dunlop     Topics: Blog

Alborz runs a very successful Australian blog that earns him $100,000s a year from advertising revenue. Alborz lives the ultimate internet lifestyle, he gets paid to drive fast cars and to blog about it! He made his first $100 at 14 and now is onto his 4th successful business and things are just going from strength to strength for him. This interview has some great “Get Of Your Ass” advice that any blogger or entrepreneur should read!First off – can we have a little background information on you Alborz – Where you live? How old you are? (if you don’t mind answering) What motivates you? What inspires you?

I live in Brisbane Australia, I am 24.

I’m motivated by a few things, I was originally motivated by fear of being poor and wanted to move away from that by earning money. I started a fair few businesses, but most of them didn’t have much success, I guess I never gave up but I am still and always will be actively pursuing other ideas and avenues. These days I am motivated by the thought of life-long fulfilment, I am striving to achieve my inner goals and then use that strength to become a more successful and better person.

I am inspired by a lot of people and a lot of things. I am inspired that I’ve been able to get to where I am, I am inspired by the thought that I am healthy, alive and have the capacity to succeed in life. Most of us do, but this realisation is very important. A notable person that has inspired me a lot and changed my outlook and attitude to life has been Eben Pagan through his work and general attitude change.

I am also inspired by Choice Theory. If you don’t know that is, I suggest you buy the book

1) Tell us about your main project, CarAdvice ? Why did you launch CarAdvice ? Where are you at now with CarAdvice ?

I launched CarAdvice because, to put it simply, I was bored. Of course there was more thought to it than that, but I looked around Australian websites looking for a car website that I would actually like to read. I couldn’t find any. There are just so many old-school journalists that have absolutely no idea on how the web works and can do little to make an entertaining read. I had this enormous passion for cars and I thought starting a website was the best way to express it.

CarAdvice is now Australia’s largest independent automotive website with over 30,000 unique visitors each day. We have nine staff and growing monthly. There is still a long way to go and the site has extremely more potential. We are moving into DVD sales of our videos, doing podcasts, launching numerous other auto-related websites etc.

2) You have managed to build one of the most successful blogs in such a competitive niche, what factors do you think were the reason for your success?

Motivation and determination. It wasn’t always successful, I am one of those people that when I sense something good, I don’t give up. I felt CA had great potential and even through the hard times of being banned from Google to bleeding money, I stuck with it. You have to love what you do, don’t be one of those people that wakes up in the morning hating the idea of going to work or having to do what ever it is you think you have to do.

 

 

I quit my normal day job to run this full time, back when we had little money, it was a huge step, a big risk that I was willing to take because I believed in the idea. You have to believe in yourself and your business.

As for competing against other Autoblogs, well that was never an issue, there is room for us all, we all bring a different angle to the scene. There are thousands of car blogs, but if you start it with the idea of making a quick buck then it doesn’t work (unless that’s the aim). I started the site to write about cars, I didn’t care about the traffic or money, I just wanted to express my opinion and that was reason enough for me to always keep doing what I like doing regardless of whatever anyone else said or thought.

Change your attitude, get some self-help books, learn choice theory, work out who your ideal-self is and then aim to get there. I am certainly not there, but I am always actively pursuing self-improvement.

3) Your blog receives a phenomenal amount of traffic, what advice would you give a young entrepreneur trying to promote and market their blog?

Write genuine articles that you wrote your self. Don’t write articles you think will be successful, just write what you WANT to write about. The passion for your content will show through if you write it well. Learn to write better as well, it never hurts to try different writing techniques, be funny, be controversial, be prepared to tackle the no-go issues, be different.

Promotion-wise I think it’s fair to say that it will take time, don’t expect 30,000 unique visitors a day in the first week! I found that viral promotion in forums and communities in your niche helped tremendously. Lots of free information on getting traffic out there. Read it!

4) Do you think everyone, what ever their age can achieve success online blogging? What advice would you give a internet entrepreneur trying to make money online from their first blog?

CarAdvice is my 8th blog and my 4th business. I got my first check in the mail when I was 14 from selling advertising space on my then geocities website It was for about $100 USD but hell, that was not bad! I then started another three websites which became rather popular. I was at one stage doing reviews on computer games, I ran myweblog.com which at one stage had over 70,000 users (well and truly before blogger/facebook etc – had I been motivated enough back then, maybe it would have been blogger). None of those made me rich or gave me lots of money, but remember, it’s not failure, it’s a learning experience.

No decision in life is as regrettable as indecision (can I coin that phrase?)

5) If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started,  what business related advice would you give yourself?

I think early on I was still a little lazy, I was hesitant to do to many things at once, plus I was still a boy and going from that boy-2-man process really helped. If you want to be successful in life, be it financially, or whatever, fix your inner game first. Focus on working out the things that stop you from being successful and then find a way to eliminate them and replace them with positive behaviours.

6) Everyday you earn a considerable amount of money, get invited to drive some of the quickest and newest cars around and you enjoy it! Why should a young entrepreneur get online and be part of the internet lifestyle?

Why? Because it’s the easiest way to start a business. The costs are so low in comparison to a ‘real-world’ business. Besides, online your marketplace is the whole world, meanwhile you are limiting yourself to a small marketplace if you don’t move online.

7) Is there anyone that you look up to and model yourself on? (You can name more than one)

Eben Pagan is the main name that comes to mind. He is my modern day Jesus  
8) Do you have any favourite business related, website design or webmaster related books that you can recommend to other entrepreneurs?

Not really business related, but things that have helped, “On Being a Man” and “Deep Inner Game” DVD series by Eben Pagan – plus Get Altitude. Odd I know, as they are related to dating than online business success but you can apply the knowledge in all areas of life. Maturity and inner peace is the path to success. The biggest challenge for me wasn’t building a website and getting and generating traffic, it was being able to get my mind set right and my motivation and psychology worked out so that I can focus on the important things – this is still a challenge, but I am much better at it.

Choice theory by William Glasser – highly recommended as a way to change your attitude to life and take control of what you CAN control and let go of what you can’t.

9) What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Decisions enhance our quality of life. Decisions are either constructive or destructive, but indecision leads to death. Make your life interesting, start making decisions in a constructive way and remember if down the line you realise it was the wrong decision, treat it like a learning experience. You can’t grow without learning. Don’t be afraid to make life-changing decisions. You only live once!

10) What advice would you give to a Young Entrepreneur setting up their first business?

Make sure you have the right reasons for starting. Don’t be put off by lack of success, try something else, or change your strategy. Always remember, you’ve got something to give to the world, don’t be a consumer be a producer. Get to know people that are already successful in your area or something related – remember there is enough room for all.

11) How many hours do you work daily and what are your daily tasks for your sites?

Depends on the day, I don’t consider driving cars as work! I love driving and I love writing about cars, so for me it’s something I WANT to do not something that I try and avoid. I try and work at least three REAL hours a day, by real hours I mean productive hours not just sitting here procrastinating – if you work less but work harder or be more focused, you will achieve more.

12) If the Internet had not existed – what do you think you would be doing?

I’d love to try my hand at motorsports, failing that I’d like to write, so I’d be a journalist of some sort. Probably writing about psychology, philosophy or politics.

13) What do you like best about the Internet?

We really don’t appreciate that we live in a time where information is available at such an enormous rate and ease that 100 years ago people couldn’t even dream of. Utilise this mass market and information and earn a living from it. Provide something of value to the online world.

14) What do you like least about the Internet?

People trying to make a quick buck by setting up spam sites or quick make money advertising sites.

15) Have you any plans (personal or business) that you can share with us about your future plans / goals / lifetime goals?

I am always actively pursuing other business ideas  – always growing as a person and learning new things. My aim is to never stop learning.