Tons of Thanks
About the Company
Tons of Thanks is an online platform offering examples and guidance for writing thank-you notes across various scenarios. Founded by Heidi Bender, who previously worked as a data management consultant, the website aims to help people express gratitude in a meaningful way. The site covers a wide range of thank-you note topics, from personal occasions like weddings and graduations to professional scenarios, providing tailored advice depending on the context and the relationship between the note-writer and the recipient.
Idea Behind Company
The idea for Tons of Thanks emerged when Heidi learned about blogging and online income opportunities around 2013. Initially, she struggled to identify a niche, feeling that she had no specialized knowledge to offer. However, inspired by her lifelong habit of writing thank-you notes, which she learned from her mother, she realized there was a gap in the market for more personalized, meaningful thank-you note examples. After surveying friends and researching existing resources, she found that many examples online were too generic, prompting her to create a more specialized and helpful website.
Creating the Company
Heidi launched Tons of Thanks with minimal investment, starting with a shared hosting plan and a WordPress site. She initially struggled to attract traffic and generate income, despite following advice from various blogging courses. Her first few posts garnered little attention, and her attempts at affiliate marketing yielded disappointing results. However, Heidi persisted, participating in writing challenges to boost content and experimenting with different monetization strategies. Over time, her site’s traffic grew, and she began earning modest income from Adsense, though it wasn’t enough to quit her day job.
Launching the Business
The turning point for Tons of Thanks came when Heidi learned about AdThrive, a premium ad network that offered higher payouts than Adsense. With help from a fellow blogger, she optimized her site to reach AdThrive’s minimum traffic requirement by leveraging Pinterest for additional traffic. This switch, combined with ongoing SEO improvements, allowed Heidi to significantly increase her site’s revenue. By 2021, she had grown her traffic enough to leave her day job and focus on the website full-time, with 99% of her traffic coming from organic Google searches.
Earnings
Tons of Thanks now generates $8.33K per month, primarily through display ads. Heidi’s initial attempts at affiliate marketing were unsuccessful, leading her to focus on ad revenue as her main income stream. Although her site faced setbacks due to Google algorithm updates in 2022, she remains optimistic about the future. Heidi is actively working to regain lost traffic by updating old content, removing underperforming articles, and creating new posts. Her primary expenses include hosting, SEO tools, and membership in a paid blogger group, but with low overhead and high margins, she aims to continue growing the business.
