I began MOTC three years ago, as part of Cities on the Cheap, which is mostly American. In the US, they have many more coupon and freebie deals than we have in Canada. Companies are also much more willing to advertise or sponsor things locally. As a result, some owners do make money from the sites, making it worth their time. In fact, some make enough to hire help.

I was getting some income (enough to cover the cost of the monthly hosting and a few other costs) through Google Adsense, but they pulled my account in late summer 2011 because of “suspicious activity.” That usually means someone is clicking too often just to click, not to see the ads. Despite appealing, MOTC was not reinstated. I did make a few more dollars with a couple of the daily deal sites, but that was very minimal.

When I first began the site, several people said they would help me find events and activities to post, but this rarely did happen. I did get some tips once in a while from a couple of regulars, but overall I found most of the information myself. MOTC does get a good bit of traffic, anywhere from 300 to 500 visitors per day, many of whom come for the daily deals. Putting that page together alone, took about 45 minutes every day.

It wasn’t a decision I took lightly and, as I said, not necessarily permanent. But for now, I have to focus on my career.

Sincerely,
Monique

Have a great ski season!

J

Love your site!!